


Bloody Petals

by Demran



Category: RWBY
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Half-Dragon!Yang, Vampire!Torchwick, Vampire!Weiss, Werecat!Blake
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-05
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-04-02 23:52:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4078693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demran/pseuds/Demran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Weiss Schnee, heir to the Schnee Vampire Family, takes a trip to Vale at the behest of her father. Indirect sequel to chapter 16 of A Cookie and a Bagel, by AngelMatvey</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Weiss woke up with a start, immediately checking her surroundings. It was dark. Good, she was finally getting used to the new locale. Jet lag was far worse for a vampire, apparently. Getting up, she crossed to the window of her hotel room and peered out at the streets. The sun was just peeking above the horizon, casting a golden glow upon the mass of pedestrians roaming the city.

Oh, how she wanted to lure one away and have a bite. Fresh blood was so much better than the stale blood from packs. Running her tongue over her fangs, she smiled and decided that a little bite couldn’t hurt. A criminal wouldn’t be missed, surely. And in an hour or so, she could easily overpower anyone she chose to be her prey. Yes, once it was dark enough--

Weiss’ train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a ringing from her scroll. Which was odd, as no one but her family had her number. Unless it was the blood bank. Weiss sat there pondering for perhaps a moment too long before scrambling to pick up and answer her scroll.

“Hello,” she said, hoping that she didn’t sound as groggy as she felt.

“Hello, have I reached Weiss Schnee?” A disinterested voice from the other side asked, pausing for a moment to quite obviously read her name from some paperwork.

“You have. May I ask as to why you are calling?”

“I work for the Vale Regional Blood Bank. I’m calling about the registration you filled out a couple of days ago. It’s all been processed, and if you could come in at your earliest convenience, we can get you finalized.”

“I’ll be right over.” Weiss hung up, not bothering to wait for the other line to respond. It only took her a few moments to gather the things she needed to finish any paperwork and get dressed.

Considering the time, and her concern about being found out as a Vampire, she decided to simply leave her room from the window, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. It also served as a way to wake her up, in addition to being much faster than walking on the streets. And it wasn’t like people oft looked directly up anyway, so she only had to keep a small concealing glyph around herself to blur her form and she would remain safe.

Unless there were any Hunters around. But she didn’t think there was, Vale seemed much more tolerant of her kind than Atlas did. She sighed and put those thoughts aside, thankful that the blood bank wasn’t too terribly far from her hotel. It didn’t take long for Weiss to conjure a ‘stairway’ of solid Glyphs to descend into an alleyway just across the street from the blood bank.

Unfurling her parasol, despite the fact that the sun was well enough below the horizon that it didn’t burn her, she approached her target. Just as she crossed the street, she heard a whiny screech from above.

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaang! We’re falling too fast!” The voice yelled, directly above Weiss. She barely had time to react before a fireball impacted the ground in front of her, leaving the sidewalk charred.

Weiss yelped, stumbling away from the fireball-- No, it wasn’t a fireball, it was a rather large blonde woman carrying Ruby. Why was Ruby being carried like that, and more importantly, _why was the blonde woman on fire!?_

“What on Remnant is going on here?!” Weiss demanded, stamping her foot in frustration.

“Oh, just droppin’ my lil’ sis off to work. I’ll see you in the morning, sis!” The blonde woman said, rather unceremoniously dropping Ruby on her rump and leaping upwards. Weiss was further startled when the woman sprouted a pair of fiery wings and rocketed away into the night, leaving a blazing trail in their wake.

“What? How?” Weiss was quickly starting to regret taking the rooftops.

Ruby chuckled nervously, patting herself off. It took her a moment to realize just who she was standing in front of. “Oh! Weiss! Heya!” She said, grinning.

Weiss just blinked incredulously, still confused by the blonde woman. Further perplexing her was Ruby’s complete nonchalance at being a meteorite several moments before. “How can you be so casual about that!?” She demanded, glaring.

Ruby jerked her head back, paling considerably. “Th-That was my older sister, Yang,” she stammered out after a moment. “She’s a half-dragon. Don’t mind her.”

Weiss simply stared as Ruby kept shrinking away, almost trembling. It took her a few moments to remember that her aura flared instinctively when Yang fell from the sky, and that humans typically reacted with fear when faced by the active aura of a vampire. “Well, we are their natural predators. So it isn’t an unreasonable response,” she mused as she calmed her aura.

Ruby let out a sigh of relief and tilted her head somewhat. “So, what are you doing here? Paperwork done? Or do you need a… fix?” Ruby chuckled a bit, placing emphasis on the word ‘fix’ to tease Weiss.

Which, as it turned out, was a bad idea. Weiss narrowed her eyes into hard points of sharp ice, glaring at Ruby. “I just got a call, saying the paperwork was processed, and I should come finalize my registration,” She took a glance around as she spoke, making sure she wasn’t being watched. Thankfully, there were no Hunters about. At least, there weren’t any obvious ones. Just a remarkably thin crowd of pedestrians across the street, going about their business.

“Oh! Okay, just head on in. I think Blake’s in there right now.. My shift doesn’t start for another five minutes. She’ll get you all sorted out.” Ruby chuckled nervously, clearly uncomfortable being the focus of Weiss’ ire.

“Very well,” Weiss grumbled, strutting past Ruby and into the clinic. Instantly, her nose was assaulted by the scent of a therian, and she directed her gaze around to glare at the only other person in the room: a pale woman with black hair, topaz eyes, and a bow atop their head. Either that woman was the therian, or one recently came to the blood bank.

She didn’t think the latter was the case, so she simply glowered at the woman. “I’m here to complete my registration. Quickly, if you don’t mind.”

The woman raised an eyebrow, not the least bit intimidated by Weiss’ hostility. “I’ll just need you to read and sign these forms. Miss Schnee, was it?”

“Yes, I’m Miss Schnee,” Weiss hoped that Ruby was the one handling the blood, not the woman across the counter from her.

“My name is Blake, by the way,” the woman said, sliding the paperwork to Weiss. Weiss could tell that she was equally displeased by the situation.

Weiss simply glanced over the particulars of the paperwork and signed wherever there was a space for her signature. Once she had the paperwork signed, she fished out her wallet and withdrew the noted payment. “Twenty lien for the first-time copay, yes?” She asked, just to make sure.

“Yes. It’ll only be five lien a litre in the future, so long as you keep your balance with the insurance company paid. You’ll also have to arrange for permanent lodging, or a PO box to send the billing to. Hotels aren’t tolerated past the first two months.”  
  
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Weiss wanted nothing more than for this woman to stop talking, so she withdrew the twenty lien from her wallet and slapped it onto the counter.

Blake returned Weiss’ glower as she took the money and put it into the blood bank’s register. “Take a seat over by the window. Someone will be out in a few minutes to give you your blood,” she said, turning to take the paperwork into the back room.

Weiss glanced to the row of chairs over by the window leading into the blood storage area and decided that taking a seat was likely a better idea than standing in front of the window like some kind of deranged junkie.

A mercifully brief waiting period later, Ruby called through the window. “Weiss Schnee?” She asked tentatively, despite obviously knowing Weiss was in the room.

Weiss immediately jumped up from her seat and crossed the short distance to stand before the window. “I’m here,” she said as Ruby came into view.

“Same as last time, you don’t have a preference for a blood type?” Ruby asked with a smile.

“My only preference is human blood. Not a therian or a half-breed,” Weiss crossed her arms, waiting somewhat impatiently.

“What’s a therian?” Ruby questioned while ducking out of view to retrieve the blood packs for Weiss.

“Disgusting, disease-ridden mongrels that only ever lead criminal lives,” Weiss answered, completely nonchalant about Blake’s returning from the back room. She allowed herself a self-satisfied smirk as she watched Blake’s mildly outraged reaction, mentally daring  the other woman to pipe up.

“Doesn’t answer my question. I’ll just google it later or something,” Ruby shrugged as she returned, placing four litres of blood into a brown paper bag. “I remembered how you didn’t wanna get seen with blood in hand, so I kind’a brought some extra bags with me. Even though people here are totally cool with vampires and you don’t need to worry about it…”

“Hunters are everywhere. No matter how tolerant Vale might seem, you do have hunters. And I won’t fall prey to them so easily.” Weiss practically growled this out, swiping up the bag as soon as Ruby offered it to her.

Ruby just held up her hands to placate Weiss. “Okay, okay.. Geez, you’re kind’a uptight, aren’t you?”

Weiss simply glared at Ruby.

Ruby grinned nervously at Weiss, hoping to defuse her temper. “So uh.. how long’ve you been in Vale?”

“Four days now.” Weiss narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Maybe.. want to get coffee sometime? I could show you around the town, if you need it.” Ruby seemed genuinely sincere with her offer, and her friendliness. This confused Weiss, making her wonder if Ruby truly understood what being a vampire meant.

“It would probably be best if we only ever talked here.” Weiss said, turning to leave.

“But.. do you have any friends here, at least?” Ruby asked, sounding disappointed.

“No,” Weiss didn’t leave Ruby with a chance to respond, exiting the building promptly. Breathing a sigh of relief at the fresh air outside, she clutched the bag containing the blood to her chest. She debated taking the rooftops back to her hotel room, but decided that it was too risky to do so, at least at the start of her trip. So, she took the slower, much more tiresome ground route.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly original lore concerning vampires and werecats and other various supernatural nonsense. Plot will kick into gear next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight warning for kidnapping and drugging, in this chapter.

Ruby yawned, pushing her pen around on the counter to keep herself occupied. _“Night shift sucks on the weekends. There’s never anyone coming around…”_ She thought to herself. No one but Weiss, she reminded herself. It had been a month and a half since the snowy-haired vampire arrived in Vale, and Ruby could tell that she still hadn’t made any friends. No, apparently she was here on some ‘business,’ whatever that meant. Man, vampires are weird.

“Thinking about Weiss again?” Blake asked, a smirk on her face. Ruby hated how Blake could always tell whenever Weiss crossed her mind. Was she some kind of psychic or something?

“N-No! Of course not.” Ruby pouted at Blake, hoping to end the teasing before it started.

“Whatever you say, miss-crushes-on-vampires,” Blake chuckled, heading into the refrigerator. “Don’t act like you asked for the night shifts for any reason other than to see Weiss.”

“She doesn’t have any friends, Blake! She even said so. Is it bad to wanna help out someone that’s new in town?” Ruby sighed, knowing that until Weiss came in and made Blake angry (seriously, what was it with those two? Did they know each other?) she’d have to endure the teasing.

“Oh, I’m sure your reasons are _entirely_ altruistic.”

“They are! I don’t have a crush on her!”

Unfortunately for Ruby, Weiss walked into the lobby and raised a brow. “Crush on who?”

“No one! That’s why I said I don’t have a crush!” Ruby’s pout grew. There wasn’t any way she was going to get out of this. “Wait… You’re early tonight, Weiss. Something up?”

Weiss allowed herself a rare smirk, which surprised Ruby. Usually, the only emotion she showed was anger. Or irritation, but was there really much of a difference between them? Well, at least Weiss was in a good mood. Maybe having Ruby at the front desk instead of Blake helped?

“I’m going to need my usual order. But… I was also wondering if that offer from a month ago was still available.” Weiss withdrew her wallet as she spoke, fishing around for the lien.

Ruby blinked a few times. Was Weiss asking her out for coffee? Or a show around the city? Both? Ruby hoped it was both. Despite what she might say to anyone, she really did have a crush on Weiss. Not that she really knew anything about her, despite the fact that she was some famous vampire from Atlas, and really didn’t like ‘therians’ (Ruby still had no clue what those were. Google failed her.) “Uhm, okay! Hey, Blake, could you get Weiss’ usual order?” She shouted back into the refrigerator.

“Four units AB pos, coming up!” Blake responded, thankfully dropping the teasing.

“She’ll be right out with it. Though uh.. Why the sudden change of heart, Weiss? What happened to ‘best not to be seen together outside the blood bank?’” Ruby chuckled, having put on her best impression of Weiss when she quoted her.

That brought back the irritable Weiss. “I hadn’t yet memorized the schedules and patrols of all the local Hunters yet. Or the locations of the therian dens. Or any number of other _basic_ precautions. I’d rather not have to fight off angry Hunters halfway through a cup of coffee, dunce.”

Ruby let out a small ‘eep’ at Weiss snapping at her. “S-Sorry. I take it, uh.. That you’ve done all that stuff, now?”

Weiss massaged the bridge of her nose with a thumb and forefinger, letting out a sigh. “Obviously. Otherwise we wouldn’t be having this discussion, would we?”

Ruby frowned. “Right. But.. y-yeah! I know a good place over on--”

“I’ve got a good place in mind. No therians, Hunters, and barely any other vampires. When can you be ready?” Weiss glanced to the window that the blood typically got passed through, obviously impatient.

“Er.. I can’t go tonight. Still on my shift for another four hours, and then I really need to head home and sleep. But tomorrow evening around seven… eight-ish? Yeah, I can do that.”

“We’ll meet here, then? I don’t know where you live, and it’s safer for you to not know where I live.” Weiss placed the payment for the blood on the counter before Ruby.

“Yeah! Yang might wanna talk to you, though. Since, y’know. There’s the whole vampire thing, n’ all.” Ruby leaned back to glance towards the refrigerator, wondering what was taking Blake so long. Weiss got cranky when she was thirsty, at least as far as Ruby could tell, and a cranky Weiss wasn’t good for anyone’s health.

“If we meet her, then I’ll be glad to speak with her. But I would rather avoid it.”

“Sorry it took so long in there,” Blake said, holding the bag of blood out from the window. “Ruby forgot that not everyone knows where she keeps those bags you insist on.”

Weiss glared at Blake, who returned the glare. “At least you managed to remember the simple fact that I prefer my vampirism a secret,” she snapped, snatching away the bag. “I’ll be around here tomorrow, Ruby. Dress nicely.” Weiss, as usual, simply left before Ruby could respond.

Ruby pouted. “Do you always have to get on her nerves, Blake?” She asked, letting her chin fall to rest on the counter.

“You’d be better off forgetting her, Ruby. Vampires are bad news.” Blake went back into the refrigerator. Was it inventory day already?

Ruby sighed. “You’re the last person I expected to be like that, Blake. I thought you were all for treating everyone equal. I mean, didn’t you march with that Were-Rights protest, last week?”

Blake didn’t respond immediately, causing Ruby to sigh again. She just wished that Weiss and Blake could get along. After all, wasn’t being friends better, or at least better for your blood pressure, than being constantly angry at each other?

Oh well, Ruby didn’t have a chance to ponder it further. A group of men wearing identical suits walked in, several of them holding briefcases. “Hi! Welcome to the Vale Regional Blood Bank! How can I help you tonight?” She immediately perked up, meeting new people always put her in a good mood.

“Oh! Excellent! I was hoping I hadn’t walked into the wrong place again… Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a blood bank that serves vampires open this late?” The lead man spoke, leaning over the counter to look down at Ruby.

“Uhm.. It shouldn’t be too hard. But we are the largest in the city! Largest reserve bank, biggest selection, y’know. Stuff like that!”

“Really? Well, could you do me and my boys here a favor and fill our cases here? As much human blood as you can fit into ‘em.” The man smirked somewhat, and Ruby suddenly felt very exposed.

“Um.. W-We don’t.. really do on-demand orders like that… Unless you’ve already got a registration with us..?” Ruby ran her hand along the bottom of the counter, trying to find the silent alarm button.

“Oh dear, then we have a problem, don’t we..” The man shook his head, taking a gun out of his suit jacket and aiming it directly at Ruby’s forehead. “Give us the blood, or I’ll blow your pretty little head clean off.”

She closed her eyes, hearing the hammer of the gun click into position just as she managed to find (and press) the silent alarm. “Alright! Just.. just put your cases on the counter. I’ll get you the blood. Just don’t shoot me!”

The man let out a laugh. “Alright boys, you heard her. Cases on the counter. Now, remember, we want as much as you can fit into ‘em. Make sure it’s human blood, too. No were blood.”

Ruby jumped as three briefcases were slammed onto the counter in front of her. She opened her eyes, shaking somewhat from fright. If only she was like Yang, and could activate her aura. “I’ll.. I’ll make double sure to get only human blood. N-No allergies to any specific types?” She stood slowly, reaching for the briefcases.

“Let me think… Hmm… Nope. Just get the damn blood already!” He gestured for her to hurry by waving his gun around somewhat.

“R-Right!” Ruby scampered into the refrigerator and looked around. Blake was in the back rows, she had no clue what was going on. Slowly, so that the robbers didn’t see exactly where she was going, she made her way to Blake.

“Blake!” She whispered, cracking open one of the cases and starting to pile blood into it. “Stay back here. We’re getting robbed.”

Blake froze, looking to Ruby. “What!?” She growled, quietly trying to sneak a peek out the door of the refrigerator.

“They don’t know you’re here! But.. they’ve got guns, Blake. I just hit the silent alarm and came back to get the blood they wanted.”

“So they’re vampires. Or work for one. I swear, if it’s that Schnee bitch--”

“No! It’s not Weiss, I haven’t seen them before. It’s four guys in suits. They don’t want any lien though, just blood…” Ruby kept piling the blood into the briefcase.

“So you’re just telling me to hide back here while you go out and get shot?” Blake moved to help load the briefcases, putting her clipboard aside.

“I don’t think they’re killers.. I mean, if they were, they could just go grab someone off the street. That’d be a lot easier and less risky than shooting someone in a blood bank.”

“And what if you’re wrong?” Blake snapped the case she was loading closed. Ruby always wondered how Blake managed to be so fast at everything.

“Then I guess it’s lucky I’ve already hit the silent alarm? The cops are on the way.”

“You’re too much like Yang sometimes…” Blake grumbled as she filled the third briefcase.

“Like I said! I don’t think they want to kill me. Just seems like that’d be a bad idea for them, because they have to know that a dead employee means longer jail time when they finally get caught, right?”

“You’ve put way too much thought into this,” Blake just shook her head, shoving a few extra packs of blood into the briefcase before shutting it.

Ruby closed the one she loaded and picked them all up. “Relax, Blake! Just.. uh.. Maybe be ready to get the first aid kit out?” She let out a nervous chuckle.

“I highly doubt a first aid kit could help a gunshot wound.”

“Better than nothing,” Ruby muttered, letting out a sigh as she headed for the refrigerator door.

The men in the lobby were obviously impatient. “About damn time!” The leader yelled, aiming at Ruby again. “Cases on the counter, and get out here. You’re coming with us.”

Ruby paled significantly, terrified beyond belief now. She could handle getting robbed, but kidnapped? That was another story entirely. She did as she was told, holding her hands up as she walked into the lobby proper.

The leader opened the cases to inspect the blood, apparently satisfied. “Alright, cuff the girl. And don’t you idiots take a drink, queen bitch wants her fresh.”

Ruby let out a yelp as one of the thugs grabbed her wrists and forced her arms down behind her back. It wasn’t much longer before she felt the cold steel of handcuffs on her wrists, and a bag was put over her head. Someone shoved her towards the door.

“Move!” The thug that cuffed her yelled. “Damn boss, she smells good.. Not like the last chick we had to grab. Would the--”

“Of course she’d mind if you took a drink, dumbass!” The leader screamed at his subordinate. Ruby was shoved into the back of some kind of car. A van, she had to guess. She heard the door slide open. “Like I said, the queen bitch wants her fresh! And if any of you screwballs fuck this up, it’s my head on the block. So if you can’t wait to have a drink, bite some of the loot. But don’t you dare touch the girl!”

Ruby heard the doors close, and she was shoved onto the floor of the van. Maybe it had windows they didn’t want her being seen through? That didn’t make sense though, these men sounded like they were really after her, not the blood. And who did they work for, she wondered.

The men continued to bicker for a while, long after Ruby felt the car rumble into motion. It was a remarkably comfortable ride, really. Despite the bag over the head and the cuffs on her wrists, of course. But at least the floor was soft.

 _“Small things Ruby. Gotta find the silver lining. Oh, who am I kidding, what could possibly be the silver lining in getting kidnapped?”_ Ruby frowned. It took a while for any sort of change to happen: the ground they were driving over got a lot bumpier, and sounded a lot more hollow. Wood, maybe? Were they at the docks? Oh, this was getting too cliche to handle.

Suddenly, the van stopped. “Alright, get up. Naptime’s over.” One of the thugs pulled Ruby up, thankfully being just a bit gentler than the other one. They actually helped her out of the van. Surprisingly gentlemanly, for having grabbed her for, as far as Ruby could tell, literally no reason. They were definitely at the docks, she could smell the ocean and the fish.

She didn’t fight them as she was guided into some kind of building. It smelled like Dust, crates, and mildew. Definitely a warehouse of some kind.They took her into a small room and shoved her down onto a chair, undoing the handcuffs from one wrist only to cuff both her arms to the chair.

“Don’t go anywhere now, toots.” The leader chuckled, and Ruby could hear them leaving. Ruby immediately set about trying to wriggle out of the cuffs, but they were on too tight.

“Okay, Ruby. What would Yang do in this situation? Apart from not getting taken in the first place…” She let out a breath to calm her racing heart, trying to come up with a plan. “She’d bust free with some fire going everywhere, then turn into a dragon and wreck the place. I can’t do that... “

She kept coming up with more and more unlikely plans (Though if she could turn into a dragon, that would be really helpful right about now,) up until the door opened and Ruby heard the men return. Five of them this time, and the newcomer has a cane. At least, that sounded like they had a cane.

“This the one?”

“Yeah, boss. She’s the right one, yeah?”

“Yeah, Cinder’s gonna… Hang on. None of you clods touched her, right? No quick sips?”

“‘Course not, boss. We saw what happened to the last guy that touched one of her girls.”

“Well I smell another vampire on her. Oi, girly!” Ruby could tell he was addressing her, this time. “You friendly with any vampires?”

“O-Only one. Weiss Schnee. Sh-She’s a regular, at the blood bank.” Ruby couldn’t keep a tremble out of her voice.

“You’re bullshitting me. Ain’t no way there’s a Schnee in town. Fess up, who is it really?”

“I’m telling the truth! Why would I lie, right now?” She couldn’t help but smirk. Maybe she could get Weiss to come rescue her? After all, vampires from the older families were supposed to be really strong. Right?

“Prove it.”

“D-Do you have a phone? I could give you her number, and you could call her. That proof enough?”

The man snorted derisively, and Ruby could hear him reaching into a pocket. “This should be good..” He muttered. “Alright, give me the number.”

Ruby rattled off Weiss’ phone number from memory. The man waited for a few moments, and Ruby could almost feel the silence pressing down on the air. She hoped that Weiss had her scroll with her…

“Hello-- What? Yeah, I know you’re Weiss Sch-- Why am I calling? You know that girl at the blood bank? Ruby--” The man addressed Ruby now. “Hey, girlie, your name Ruby?”

“Yes, it is.” She knew that this guy was in trouble, if she could only get Weiss to come help. That of course would need her to find out where she actually was. Well, a warehouse on the docks was as good a lead as any, right?

“Yeah, it’s Ruby. No, I’m not going to--” The man remained silent for a while. “No, I’m not going to hurt her. Unless you don't come to warehouse eight on crawfish row with around.. let’s say a hundred thousand lien. I know you can pay that. We coo-- Bitch hung up on me.”

Well, that was easy. If they really were in warehouse eight right now, this guy did Ruby’s job for her.

“Fuck! Cinder set us up! We can’t grab someone the Schnees want!” One of the thugs yelled.

“You think I don’t know that? That’s why I’m gonna ransom her off. I’m not stepping on the Schnees’ toes. Fuck what Cinder says.”

“Hey, you think we should drug the girl just in case? Can’t give us trouble with Schnee if she’s out.”

“Fuck it, dose her. When Schnee turns up, get that bag off her head.”

‘Drug her?’ Uh-oh, that sounds bad. Ruby really didn’t want to be drugged. But that didn’t stop the thugs from rolling up one of her sleeves. She let out a whimper as she felt a needle poke her skin. She didn’t feel anything after that, and she couldn’t keep her eyes open, or her head up, or do anything, really. She could barely think.

 

* * *

 

Weiss let out a growl, swiftly leaping from rooftop to rooftop. She was rapidly approaching the Huntress Yang’s territory, and she could easily see the blaze in the sky that showed her off. How confident in her abilities, not even trying to hide herself.

She waited until she knew she was well within Yang’s view, or at least into an area where Yang could feel her aura, and came to a stop. A few moments later, her aura flared brightly, serving as a beacon to draw Yang to her. She really hoped she wasn’t making a mistake.

It only took a few moments for Yang to impact the rooftop in front of Weiss. As expected, she was on fire and left behind a scorch mark. “Alright, vampy, fess up. Why’re you here?”

“You’re Yang Xiao Long, right?” Weiss didn’t have time to mince words.

“Yeah. You look familiar. We met?”

“I’m a friend of Ruby’s. She’s in trouble.” She kept her arms raised somewhat, held off to one side to show she meant no harm.

“You must be Weiss. Ruby talks about you a lot. What’ve you done to her?” Yang’s tone of voice made it clear that Weiss was treading on thin ice.

“I haven’t done a thing. But I just got a call, demanding a one-hundred thousand lien ransom for her.”

“Well, you’re gonna pay it, right? You’ve got money comin’ outta your ears!”

“Of course not! You think if I just give them the money, they’ll let her go? No, they won’t. They’ll probably keep her while sending me to a fake address.”

“And how do you know she’s even in trouble? You got a call, that’s it? Did you actually hear her there?”

“As a matter of fact, I did! Which is why I’m coming to you for help. You’re quite the accomplished Huntress, as I hear it.”

“Damn right, I am! Do you know where they have her?” Yang’s fire only grew in intensity, causing Weiss to raise one hand to shield her face.

“Do you promise to not run off without a plan?” Weiss raised a brow, somewhat regretting her decision to come to Yang.

Yang let out a frustrated growl, her eyes narrowing. “Yeah. And let me guess, you’ve already got one?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. It’s rather simple.”

“Spill it, then.”

“I lure them into the open, acting like I’m going to actually pay the ransom. You quietly take out the perimeter guards, and when that’s all clear, you help me deal with the ones bringing me Ruby. Obviously, I’m going to demand to see Ruby before showing them the fake ransom.”

Yang blinked a few times, mentally going over the plan. “That.. actually might work. The only problem is that I don’t do quiet.”

“You’ll have to. Unless you’d rather them hurt Ruby?”

“Of course I don’t want that! Ugh… Fine! Fine, we’ll go with your plan, we don’t really have the time to argue, do we?”

“No, we don’t. They said to bring the payment to warehouse eight, on crawfish row. We can make a stop on the way so I can pick up a briefcase to lure them in with.”

Yang nodded. “Lead the way. And I swear, if you’re trying something funny, I’m going to stake you and leave you out in the sun in Vacuo.”

“I assure you, I’m not trying anything but getting Ruby back safely.” Weiss began running towards the docks, leaping into the air as she reached the edge of the roof.

It didn’t take them long to get what they needed and find the warehouse in question. Weiss gestured for Yang to start her part of the plan while Weiss descended to street level, calmly looking for anyone that might be out and about.

Not seeing anyone, she tried the door. Locked… hopefully, they were polite kidnappers, and answered the door if she knocked. She gave the door a few firm raps with her knuckles, focusing all her ire into a glare as icy as death.

A few moments later, and the door opened. A man, obviously a vampire (he reeked of stale blood,) in a white trench coat and a bowler hat answered the door. “Well well, you really came. Get inside, now. No fast moves, or we’ll fill you full of bullets.”

Weiss entered the rather run-down warehouse, noting the rather strange amount of crates piled up inside it. Despite the dilapidated state of the building, the crates seemed to be new. Weiss looked to the lead vampire, giving him a questioning look.

“What? You wanna see the girl first?” He asked, despite waving to one of the other vampires in the building. The vampire in question ducked into a room.

“Obviously. I’m not turning over the money until I have her safely.” She growled every syllable into an implied threat. ‘Hand Ruby over safely, or I’ll end you,’ is what she hope she got across.

“Look over there, and I’m sure you’ll be happy to find out that she’s just as good as when we found her. Not even a scratch on her, and I made sure none of my boys took a bite.”

Weiss glanced over to where the other vampire had been standing. He came out of the room, dragging a rather strung-out looking Ruby along with him. “What did you do to her?” Weiss glared back at the lead vampire.

“Oh, just gave her a bit of something to help her sleep. You know how tiring kidnappings can be, right?”

Weiss didn’t bother dignifying that with a response, simply striding over to Ruby and wrinkling her nose at the distinct smell of the narcotics they used to knock her out. “If there’s any problems coming from the drugs you gave her, I swear: I will find you. And I will end you.”

It was then that the broken body of a vampire came crashing through one of the skylights, with Yang in fast pursuit. “Grab her!” She yelled at Weiss.

Weiss didn’t have much time to react, so she simply conjured a glyph to blast the thug holding Ruby aside before grabbing her. “I have her!”

Yang leapt at another thug, a thunderous roar escaping from her flaming fists. “Get her out then!”

Assuming that Yang had cleared the roof, Weiss simply picked Ruby up bridal style and conjured a series of glyphs to act as platforms to jump from, leading to the broken skylight. She didn’t want to give anyone a chance to close the gap with her and keep her from getting Ruby to safety, so she wasted no time in leaping from one glyph to the next.

The sickening crunch of bones breaking resounded through the warehouse as Weiss made it through the skylight and placed Ruby on the roof. There were four other vampires in varying states of injury: mostly burns and severely broken bones.

Ruby stirred somewhat, opening her eyes. Just as she did so, Weiss heard someone land behind her. “Weiss.. bad.. guy..” Ruby choked out.  
That was all Weiss heard before the roof rushed up the meet her, and she blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, a cliffhanger. I'm a monster. Those wanting an explanation for why Ruby couldn't fight back will have their answers next chapter. I promise.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Questions are answered, Ruby is teased, and Weiss deals with some rather troubling revalations.

Roman was many things, but a fool he was not. And he didn’t appreciate his new employer taking him for one. _“Of all the stupid targets to pick, she has me grab someone that the Schnees are after.”_ He took his cigar from between his lips, debating whether or not to call Cinder and tell her where she can go shove all the lien she likely wasn’t going to pay him.

“Hey, boss. Are you sure that the Schnee chick’s gonna let us off so easy? I mean, don’t they practically run Atlas?” One of Roman’s hired goons asked. Timothy, he vaguely recalled, was his name.

“Well, Timmy, this ain’t Atlas. I hope that’s enough to get us off the hook. How far out is the girl?” Roman tossed the cigar off to one side, fishing around in his pockets for the disposable phone he knew was around there somewhere.

“She ain’t wakin’ up any time soon. It’s weird though, I had to give her twice the usual dose to put her under. Think she might actually be a Huntress?”

“For your sake, I hope she isn’t.” Roman finally found that damned phone (why did he put in his back pocket?) and flipped it open, punching in Cinder’s number. It rang a few times before the other line picked up.

“Hello, Roman dear. I trust you’re calling me to wire you the funds for this last job?” Cinder’s voice, as silken smooth as always, came floating over the line.

“Forget it. This job’s gone sour. You didn’t tell me this Ruby chick was on the Schnees’ list.”

“What.” Cinder never sounded this angry. At least, as far as Roman knew. He usually never gave her a reason to be that angry, he _liked_ his unlife thank-you-very-much.

“Yeah. She’s friends with one of the Schnees. And they never leave Atlas unless they’re looking for new blood.”

“Why wasn’t this job done sooner? None of the Schnees are supposed to be in Vale for another week!”

Roman felt the telepathic link with one of his sired go dead. Irritating, maybe the dumbass fell off the roof or something. “It takes a while to plan kidnappings so that the cops don’t have a trail to follow. And sorry if I’m so busy stealing everything else on that list you so graciously shoved in my face that I can’t spare more time to grab every random girl you want, when you want!”

Another link went dead. Shit, that meant trouble. “I don’t pay you for excuses. Deal with the Schnee situation, and I’ll send you another name. We can’t afford to have our plans delayed.”

“Your plans, you mean. But yeah, I’ve already got it under control. Listen, I’ve got some trouble or something. I’ll call you back.” He promptly hung up, not giving Cinder a chance to respond. “Would one of you idiots get to the roof and see what the hell’s going on!?” He yelled to his goons, just as he heard a light rapping on the door.

Great. That’s probably the Schnee. Faster than he expected, but he didn’t have much experience with vampires older than a century, so maybe they were right on time. He waved to Timmy to guard Ruby as he headed to the door. Readying his cane for a fight, he cracked the door open to see who was knocking.

On the other side, a short girl with white hair and an icy glare stood clutching a briefcase. Well, at least he’s going to make some money off this little fuck-up.

“Well well, you really came. Get inside, now. No fast moves, or we’ll fill you full of bullets.” He ordered, opening the door and standing out of the way.

The girl strode into the warehouse with an air of authority. There wasn’t any way Roman could take her in a fight, he could tell she had fed recently, and that she was at least as old as he was. Hopefully, it didn’t come to that.

The girl gave him a questioning look, obviously demanding to see the goods he had ‘stolen’ from her. “What? You wanna see the girl first?” He wondered, despite giving Timmy the go-ahead wave to drag Ruby out for Weiss to see.

“Obviously. I’m not turning over the money until I have her safely.” The girl practically growled out her demand. Smart, making sure we know who’s in charge here.

Deciding that he wanted to stay on her good side, he gestured to where Timmy was taking Ruby out from the small ‘holding cell’ (really, it was just an old office) they had been keeping her in. “Look over there, and I’m sure you’ll be happy to find out that she’s just as good as when we found her. Not even a scratch on her, and I made sure none of my boys took a bite.”

The Schnee inspected Ruby for a while, before returning her glare to Roman. “What did you do to her?”

“Oh, just gave her a bit of something to help her sleep. You know how tiring kidnappings can be, right?” Roman immediately regretted being snarky. Smooth, being a sarcastic asshole can only make the Schnee want to kill him less, right?

The Schnee walked over to Ruby and took a closer look at her. “If there’s any problems coming from the drugs you gave her, I swear: I will find you. And I will end you.”

Roman was about to make another snide remark when one of the goons he actually hired (as opposed to turned himself) was launched through the skylight, followed by an angry, and _flaming_ (what the fuck?), blonde woman. “Grab her!” The blonde woman yelled.

Just what was going on here? The Schnee responded by throwing Timmy aside with some kind of aura-fueled spell and grabbing Ruby. “I have her!” She yelled, and Roman immediately knew he wasn’t going to be getting paid after all. Damn it.

The blonde woman leapt at another one of Roman’s sired, starting to pulverize him with her flaming fists. “Get her out then!” She yelled to the Schnee.

Roman grabbed his cane and began running at the Schnee. He didn’t quite manage to catch her before she used more of those aura-fueled spells to jump out of the building via the broken skylight. He could just barely keep them stable with his own aura, being a bit slower about jumping than the Schnee had been.

Sure, it hurt like hell to maintain someone else’s spell, and it likely lead to a trap, but hey: it was faster than the stairs. Thankfully, he didn’t have to keep them all cohesive as he ascended towards the skylight, and the pain from maintaining them diminished as he rose. He managed to make good time, landing behind the Schnee just a few moments after she did. She was kneeling down, setting down the girl in her arms. Good, she was vulnerable. Good a time as any to get the jump on her and grab the money while she’s out.

“Weiss… Bad… Guy…” Ruby choked out.

_“Yeah, I’m a really bad guy, kid. Nothin’ personal,”_ he thought to himself as he brought his cane down on the back of the Schnee’s head, clubbing her into unconsciousness. Now, where was that damn briefcase?

He searched the roof before realizing that the Schnee didn’t have it anymore. Damnit, that meant she left it in the warehouse and he just missed it. He heard a group of his thugs burst out of the stairwell from somewhere behind him. “Get the girl back into the office. See if you can’t get some cuffs on the Schnee bitch too.” He said as he jumped back into the warehouse.

 

* * *

 

Yang didn’t have time to deal with these pathetic excuses for vampires. This had to be a particularly new den, she didn’t know about it. After punching what had to be the sixth vampire through a wall, she turned around to see that trench coat asshole jumping down from the roof. He looked happy. She was about to make him look very not happy.

Unfortunately, more of his thugs had joined the fray, and were in her way. She could feel the dragon in her blood and soul roaring, and she ached to let it out. But Weiss and Rubes were on the roof, and the warehouse was too small to get reckless in. She’d just have to go Grimm hunting later this week, to satisfy her inner dragon.

So she decided to settle on incinerating as many of these newly-turned vamps as she could, and maybe see if she could bag that classy mafia lookin’ motherfucker too. Roaring a challenge matched by the flames enveloping her arms, she ran at the nearest thug.

He didn’t seem all that intimidated, no doubt pumped up on the false confidence that being turned into a vampire seems to give every shithead that falls in with these crowds. And worse for him, he only had a baseball bat to try and fend Yang off with.

Yang ducked as he swung high before planting a devastating uppercut into his jaw. A brief blaze sparked from the contact, and this coupled with the force of the punch knocked the vampire skyward briefly. She didn’t wait for him to come back down, and launched a number of fireballs at him to throw him farther upwards, until he hit the ceiling.

Another goon came at her with a crowbar with a bit of barbed wire wrapped around it, and she danced out of the way. She quickly began to lose herself in the melee, not bothering to pay attention to the blows she dished out or received. More and more vampires joined the crowd surrounding her, and she was forced to focus less on finishing them off one-by-one and focus more on simply hitting who she could when she could.

She weaved in and out between them, dodging blow after blow while throwing reckless punches and kicks in order to disable another thug, at least for a while. Every hit she took just made her feel better, more alive, and slowly she began to stop bothering with avoiding them entirely.

The dragon in her was singing by now, a fierce roar that escaped her from her lips and fists, a haze of red clouding her vision. She slowly lost grip of her faculties and awareness of what was really going on. Every maneuver she made or punch she threw was another step in an intricate dance that she and this crowd of suited men was embroiled in.

She was so caught up in this deadly dance that she didn’t notice her assailants suddenly begin diminishing in number. At first she chalked it up to her own success, but when her senses returned she noticed that most of the bodies lying on the ground had been sliced neatly in half.

She launched one of the thugs into the air with a kick to the stomach, only to witness a red-cloaked figure appear literally out of nowhere to carve them in twain with a hazy black scythe. The figure disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and this brought Yang completely back to her senses.

_“What the fuck was that?”_ She wondered, moving to disengage from the crowd. The vampires didn’t seem to mind, having noticed the reaper in their midst well before Yang had. They just backed themselves into a circle, brandishing their weapons at any shadow that moved.

Yang kept her stance firm, glancing around the room to see if she could find out exactly what was going on.

A flicker of red danced into the light for a moment before the figure appeared in an explosion of rose petals. The vampires didn’t stand a chance, as the scythe-wielding stranger carved through them without hesitation. There was an elegant brutality to the figure’s swings that Yang could admire, but the look of that scythe and the fact that the figure could apparently teleport scared her more than that.

Yang blinked, and the figure was gone again. She heard a frightened scream from the roof just before a vampire was thrown through the broken skylight, a large shard of glass stuck through their chest. She had to end this, now. The coat-and-hat guy was hiding off in one corner, panting heavily. Their coat had a few cuts in it, some of them beginning to stain with his blood.

She began running at him before she felt a chill run down her spine and a blade get pressed against her neck. She heard a voice whisper in the back of her mind, _“Don’t get in my way…”_ it seemed to say before the presence passed. It sounded disturbingly like Ruby’s voice, but colder and more bloodthirsty. She immediately turned and aimed a backhanded punch at where the person behind her should have been, but her fist met only air.

“Yang! Ruby’s gone!” Weiss suddenly yelled from the roof. She sounded terrified. No, no, no, this wasn’t good. How could Ruby be gone?

Yang dropped into a low defensive stance as she focused back onto the coat-and-hat guy. The same flicker of red from before appeared in front of him before another burst of rose petals heralded the return of the reaper. They sliced at the man, forcing him onto the defensive. The vampire in the coat kept stepping away from the reaper, trying to disengage, but the floor was so bloody and the reaper so relentless that he was only barely managing to stay upright.

He managed to land a lucky blow that knocked the figure’s hood off, revealing the wearer to have short, bowl-cut black hair with faint red highlights. Yang felt the bottom of her stomach fall out, and a cold sweat sprang to life on her skin. _“That’s Ruby’s hair… And they’re about as big as she is…”_

The reaper was Ruby. There wasn’t any doubt, Yang didn’t know of anyone else that wore their hair like that, or could move that easily in a cloak. And that whisper from earlier… She shook herself from her stupor as the man produced a Dust crystal from his jacket and dropped it at his feet, moving back.

“Ruby, look out!” Yang yelled, causing the reaper to pause and look towards Yang. This distraction was just long enough for the man to shoot some kind of flare from the end of his cane and directly at the crystal, causing it to explode and fling Ruby away.

Yang didn’t care if coat-and-hat guy got away as she ran towards Ruby. There was some kind of bony, white mask over her face. An intricate design of crimson paint made it look like there was a snarling face on the mask. It looked almost identical to a Grimm mask, and the black smoke that wafted from the cracks in it only made the comparison more apt.

“Weiss, get down here, now!” Yang yelled over her shoulder as she pulled at the mask to try tugging it off. She couldn’t get the damn thing to budge. This didn’t stop her from trying while Weiss jumped into the room and crossed over to Ruby.

“What’s wrong? Who is that?” Weiss asked, still looking around the warehouse in case someone tried attacking them.

“It’s Ruby. And this damn mask.. Where’d it even come from?! It won’t come off!” Yang let out a frustrated growl, still pulling at the edges of the mask. A few pieces fell away, revealing some of Ruby’s face beneath.

“I don’t know. I got knocked out when I got to the roof, and when I came to she was gone.” Weiss knelt down across from Yang, looking over Ruby. “She’s alive, but weak. We need to get her somewhere safe.”

Yang sighed, shifting to pick Ruby up. “We can go to my place. Hopefully that mask is all gone by then, it’s starting to creep me out.

“No, it’s almost sunrise. My apartment is closer.” Weiss rose along with Yang, who sent Weiss a questioning look.

“We’re going to my place, end of discussion. You might have to deal with a bit of burning, but if you’re really Ruby’s friend you’ll take it with a smile. I’ll call my uncle Qrow. He should know what’s going on.”

“But--”

“No buts. I don’t know you, and more importantly you’re a vampire so I don’t trust you. We’re. Going. To. My. Place.” Yang didn’t give Weiss a chance to respond as she headed for the door of the warehouse (that was currently blasted partially off its hinges.)

Weiss just huffed and followed along, apparently not wanting to wait before reaching shelter. Yang wondered just how long it would take for her to burn, if she was left out in the sun.

Yang lead the way to her apartment, practically running through the now-empty streets. The mask on Ruby’s face continued to deteriorate before falling away completely, much to her relief. Now if only she could wake Ruby up.

* * *

 

The trip to Yang’s apartment took about forty-five minutes, and Weiss was silently grateful for being allowed entrance into the Huntress’ home. The sun was just starting to peek above the horizon, so while Yang set Ruby down on the couch and called her uncle, Weiss set about closing all the curtains in the living room.

Just as Weiss got the last curtain pulled, Yang entered the room and dropped into an armchair. “He’ll be here in about half an hour. Kitchen’s free, if you wanna make something.” She said before drawing a hand down her face. Weiss could tell she was exhausted.

“I don’t eat, normally,” Weiss began, carefully planning her response. “But you look like you could use a pick-me-up. I’ll see what I can put together.”

She didn’t wait for Yang’s response, simply heading into the kitchen. Eggs were simple enough, and Weiss didn’t want to risk mangling a more complicated meal. She hadn’t even touched a stove in a decade, since her last bit of tutoring ended prematurely by her tutor’s execution.

Quietly, so as not to disturb Ruby, she fished out a handful of eggs and some cubed ham from Yang’s refrigerator and began heating some oil in a skillet. Thankfully there hadn’t been any drastic changes in how stoves operated in the past ten years.

She idly hummed a gentle tune while she cooked, scrambling the eggs and ham together, trying her best to keep her mind off what she saw inside the warehouse and failing. She could easily pick out the vampires that Yang had fought, but those weren’t what concerned her. The majority of the bodies on the roof and inside the warehouse were cleanly dissected by someone with intimate knowledge of how vampires worked.

Each one had their heart destroyed in some way, usually by getting cut in twain. Sometimes, the bodies had also been decapitated as well. The thought that Ruby could have done all of that, in such a short amount of time disturbed her greatly. Was she really the girl that her father sent her to Vale to turn?

She couldn’t do it. There wasn’t any way that she could just hand Ruby over to her father, knowing what she did now. But how could she escape her father’s wrath and also keep Ruby and Yang safe? Whatever she decided, that was a mental debate for another time. The eggs were done.

Weiss divided the eggs up onto two plates and sprinkled a light dusting of shredded cheese on top of them before gathering the cutlery and heading into the living room. Yang was already snoring on her armchair, one hand supporting her head (barely.) She set one of the plates on a coffee table in front of the couch and lightly tapped on Yang’s shoulder.

Yang woke with a start and a snort, blinking groggily up at Weiss. “Whuh?” She mumbled, sitting upright again.

Weiss offered the eggs over. “Eat. You’ll need the energy to stay awake and wait for your uncle.”

Yang shrugged and took the eggs, satisfied by Weiss’ explanation. “S’long as you’re not tryin’ to poison me…” She murmured in a sleepy, joking manner.

“Believe me, I respect you enough to kill you directly, if I wanted you dead.” Weiss retorted, crossing her arms and watching Ruby.

Yang chuckled before taking a bite from her eggs. She didn’t take the fork out of her mouth for a long while, and when she did it was incredibly slowly. “Weiss. Have you ever cooked eggs before?” She asked, after forcing down the bite of eggs.

“Not for a few years. Why?”

“You forgot to salt them.” Yang sighed, hanging her head.

“I.. forgot. I’ll go get the shaker.”

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Ruby had woken up. She yawned widely, sitting up. “Shaker of what?” She asked sleepily.

Weiss and Yang froze, looking to Ruby. Ruby returned their looks with one of confusion. “Guys?” She asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Holy shit! Rubes, are you okay?” Yang yelled, setting her plate aside and rushing over to Ruby.

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t I be? Weiss got me out of the warehouse, right?”

“She doesn’t remember,” Weiss glanced to the door, hoping that Yang’s uncle got there soon. She wanted answers, now.

“I don’t remember what?” Ruby looked between Yang and Weiss, confused.

“Ruby… Weiss got knocked out. And then you woke up and.. killed a bunch of vampires. Scared the hell out of me.” Yang pulled Ruby into a tight hug as she spoke.

“What? No, I couldn’t have. I don’t know the first thing about fighting…” Ruby looked worried now.

“Just eat your eggs, Ruby.” Weiss said. “I’ll go get the salt, apparently they need it.”

Yang pulled away, frowning. “Uncle Qrow’s on his way, Rubes. Don’t worry, he’ll be able to tell us what’s going on.”

Weiss didn’t stay to eavesdrop on the sisters, instead heading into the kitchen and rummaging around. It took her a surprisingly long time to find the salt shaker, given how unorganized the kitchen was.

When she finally got back to the sisters, they were sharing a hug. Yang shuddered somewhat, and Weiss could swear she heard a few sniffles. Was Yang crying? She decided not to disturb them, simply setting the salt shaker on the table and glancing towards the door.

Weiss didn’t have to wait long for Yang to pull away to silently salt the two plates of eggs. She shoved one into Ruby’s hands and took her own back to the chair she was sitting in. Weiss wondered what the two had said to one another, when she was in the kitchen. Their closeness actually made her somewhat jealous. She wasn’t all that close with her own ‘sister,’ Winter.

Winter resented the Schnees, despite being given a second chance at life among them. She was only twelve, when Weiss’ father had her abducted and turned. It took quite a while for Winter to get used to being a vampire, and longer still for her active hate and rebellion to die down into passive resentment.

Weiss had tried many times to befriend Winter, despite her own birth status as a Schnee. She wasn’t particularly fond of her father’s schemes either, and had hoped that this would be enough for the two to bond over. Sadly, it was only enough to get Weiss cold indifference from Winter. The two never got many chances to bond, their father quickly sending Winter away to one of the other villas for some kind of training.

The past eighty years were full of things like this: decisions by her father that made Weiss question his sanity. More and more he would retreat into his study, only to suddenly return and throw a ball or banquet, immediately sending another one of his immediate family to bring another person into the fold.

Weiss was just the latest pawn in his schemes, apparently being sent to turn Ruby. Did he know about her? Did he know what introducing vampirism to someone like Ruby could do? She looked to Ruby, frowning as she inspected her. There wasn’t a single trace of the night’s activities on her. She didn’t even have the smell of the narcotics about her.

Ruby caught her staring. “Hey, Weiss. Somethin’ up?”

Weiss shook her head slightly. “It’s nothing. I’m just worried, is all.

Ruby pouted, taking another bite of eggs. “Oh. Okay… Are we still on, for tonight?”

“Let’s wait and see what your uncle says. If it turns out that you’re hurt, in some way, I wouldn’t want to keep you away from the attention you need.” Weiss hoped that was a diplomatic enough response. She burned away too much energy last night, and the stale, cold blood from the packs the blood bank sold her could only do so much. She’d have to feed again, and soon. Her hunger was exacerbated by the positively wonderful smell that the sisters had about them, but she wasn’t going to give Yang a reason to stake her.

The smell, now that Weiss took proper note of it, further worried her. Ruby had smelled just like any other human before. Perhaps a bit sweeter, more vibrant, but she could easily blame that on her optimistic demeanor. But now, Ruby smelled better than any other human she’d smelled before, including the handful of Hunters she had met directly in her time. She didn’t fully understand it, but it smelled as if something inside Ruby changed that night. Made her more than human.

Thankfully, Weiss didn’t have to ponder this much longer. A knock at the door snapped her attention away from the torment of her hunger. Yang rose and quickly went to answer the door.

“Hey, Qrow,” she said, letting a rather frail looking man with salt-and-pepper hair and wearing a thick black cloak into the room. His face spoke of incredible wisdom, and Weiss could easily tell from how he smelled that he was a Hunter. One that wasn’t in the registry. This could be trouble.

Qrow locked eyes with Weiss for a moment. “Hello Yang. And.. Weiss, is it? Yes, you must be. Eisenfaust wouldn’t trust Vale to anyone else, would he?” He casually entered the living room, dropping into a chair and relaxing. How did he know Weiss’ father’s name? This man was most certainly trouble.

“Good day, sir.” She stayed polite. It wouldn’t do to make an enemy in Ruby’s family. Not when Weiss knew so little about the situation.

“Uh.. Do you two know each other?”  Ruby looked between the pair, sounding confused.

“No, we’ve not met. But I do know quite a bit about Weiss’ family.” Qrow relaxed into his chair. “Now, Yang, what’s all this about Ruby being in trouble you mentioned? She looks fine to me, if a bit pale.”

“She had a Grimm mask.” Yang looked Qrow directly in the eyes, and Weiss could tell that Qrow was silently pleading to have Yang say it was all a joke.

When she never did, Qrow deflated. He ran a hand through his hair, looking suddenly quite a bit more weary and significantly older. “Was she also wielding a scythe? Wielding her aura?”

Yang and Weiss were both taken aback. “Y-Yeah, how’d you guess, Uncle Qrow?” Yang asked.

“There’s no easy way to say this but.. Ruby’s a Reaper. They’re not just legends.” Qrow murmured something after he finished saying this, but Weiss wasn’t able to catch it.

Weiss closed her eyes. She knew now, her father did know what turning Ruby would mean. She felt angry. Angry that her father would use her like this. Angry that he would make Weiss make Ruby into another Winter.

“But.. If she’s a Reaper then.. Why didn’t she kill me? I mean, they hunt Hunters, right?” Yang asked.

“That’s just what the legends say. Yes, at first the Reapers were an external force that kept extreme Hunters in line, but quickly they realized that they’d be able to keep more people safe by broadening their scope.” Qrow looked at Yang, frowning. “They became diplomats, and more often than not killed the things that drove the Hunters to extremes in the first place.

But they were naturally stronger than anyone else. Their souls were the brightest, and healed the fastest. So they could get away with taking more risks. There was a handful of vampires, Weiss’ father among them, that thought they could use the Reapers for more than just keeping the peace. The Reapers could be used as a stepping stone to bring all of Remnant under the control of the oldest vampire families.” Qrow directed his gaze at Weiss, now.

“So, what. I’m not human?” Ruby wondered.

“Oh, you’re perfectly human. But your soul is stronger than a normal human’s. You’re not a monster, Ruby. The stories are just that, stories.”

“But what about the Grimm mask, uncle? Reapers never had them in any of the stories?” Yang crossed her arms as she spoke, concerned.

“That would be Summer’s doing. She wanted at least one of her children to be able to live a peaceful life, so we worked out a way to seal Ruby’s aura, so that she could have that chance. It hurt, to see her stay so frail for so long, but.. Summer thought she’d be better off, this way.”

“And how did you know I was a reaper?” Ruby piped up.

“Your mother was one as well. It’s the only way that you could be one, given how Taiyang is just a normal Hunter.”

“I’d hardly call dad ‘normal,’ Uncle Qrow,” Yang chuckled.

“He’s probably the most normal person in our family.” Qrow deadpanned, shaking his head.

“But that doesn’t address the presence of a Grimm mask.” Weiss noted. “If all you did was seal away her aura, wouldn’t that simply mean she could never come into her own as a Reaper?” She dearly wished people would stay on topic.

“I left in a few failsafes,” Qrow explained. “If she was in enough danger, or found out about her being a Reaper, she would be able to undo the binding. But because her soul would keep growing, as long as the binding was in place, it would eventually develop a persona of its own.

I’m only guessing, at this point, but I think that the Reapers were made by Remnant’s spirit, or by nature, whatever you want to call it, much like the Grimm were. And a reaper’s soul, without the direction of a human mind to keep it in check, would be much like the Grimm. Only.. Much more focused.” He sighed. “If the binding came undone because of a threat to her, then she would only be a passenger in her body, while her power as a Reaper safely disposed of the threat. It didn’t attack either of you because Ruby didn’t see you as a threat.”

“So, this is good news, right? It means that Ruby won’t be so helpless, next time something bad happens.” Yang smiled a bit, relieved.

“I’ll have to work with Ruby, to make sure she and the Reaper part of her can be more properly integrated, but.. Yes. She should start growing again, too.” Qrow smiled, but in a weary sort of manner, rather than a relieved one. Weiss could tell something was still bothering him.

“So, if I can get a handle on all this Reaper stuff, I could.. maybe be a Huntress?” She smiled nervously, looking at Yang.

Yang opened her mouth to protest, but Qrow held up a hand to cut her off. “Yang, it’s her choice. She’s an adult now, and she’s not as weak as you were told. If she wants to attend Beacon, or one of the other Hunter academies, it’s up to her.”

Ruby let out a happy squeal, and Weiss turned away. Had they all forgotten she was standing there? She crossed her arms, clenching her jaw. She needed to get away from them, before she did something stupid. But she knew that going outside would hurt too much. Vale was far too close to the equator, the sun was much stronger here than in Atlas. If she left now, she’d have to drink all her reserve of blood, and that would only barely heal the burns.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, Weiss? You okay?” Ruby asked.

Weiss stiffened, glancing over her shoulder at Ruby. “Yes. I’m just tired. Would it be alright if I slept here?”

Yang looked to Qrow, who shrugged. She mirrored his gesture. “Yeah, sure. You can use Ruby’s old room. It’s a bit cleaner than mine, ‘cept I haven’t dusted in a while.”

“Dust doesn’t bother me.” Weiss said.

Ruby shot Yang a look that Weiss didn’t know how to interpret. “I’ll show you where it is,” Ruby said, taking Weiss’ arm and leading her into the hallway.

Yang shot them a thumbs-up and a wink, making Ruby blush. She also said, quite loudly “I’ll be checking up on you two if Ruby takes longer than five minutes!”

This only made Ruby pull on Weiss’ arm harder as she hid her face. Weiss didn’t know exactly what was going on, but she had a good idea of why Ruby was blushing. At least she didn’t have to worry about getting Yang’s approval, if she decided to remain in Vale and stay friends with Ruby.

Ruby lead Weiss down the hall and opened one of the doors. “I hope you don’t mind stuffed animals. I sort’a never moved my collection to my apartment, so they’re all still here…” She said as Weiss entered the room.

As Yang had said, there was a coating of dust on everything. Everything being a rather comically large bed with a plush comforter, and a dizzying array of stuffed animals. The stuffed animals were on everything. The bed, the floor, the bookshelf, the window sill.. Weiss expected to see stuffed animals on the shelves of the bookshelf, but it was actually well stocked by storybooks of all kinds.

Weiss smiled at the innocence of it all, happy to know that at least some people had decent childhoods. “I don’t mind at all.” She said as she went to the bed and sat down, taking off her shoes. “You should go get checked up at a hospital, and speak with the police. I won’t be awake before sundown, at least on my own. You should also try sleeping as well.”

Ruby nodded. “Alright, Weiss. I’ll come pick you up around the evening. Assuming, y’know, that we’re still on for tonight?”

“Qrow seems to think that you’re fine, and I am deliberately taking us somewhere that you won’t be put in danger. So yes, we’re still on for tonight.” Weiss slipped under the blankets on the bed, thankful that the scent of Ruby on everything was muted from disuse.

Ruby grinned and stepped out of the room. “Sleep tight.” She said as she closed the door. Weiss didn’t have to wait long for sleep to overtake her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've noticed that these chapters are getting longer and longer. Hopefully they stabilize around this sort of length, this is where I'm comfortable at. I'm going to try keeping to a chapter uploaded every other day.
> 
> Also, meet Qrow! He's a friendly sort of fellow, isn't he?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Weiss have a chat, Ruby gets teased, and then the Date begins.

Weiss was jolted awake by someone shining a dim UV lamp on her face. She swatted it away, hissing from the pain. Yang towered over her, setting the lamp down. The clock on the wall read six o’clock, so Weiss just directed a confused glare at Yang.

Yang placed one foot on the bed, resting an elbow on her knee. She had a stake in one hand, and several more belted to her waist. This wasn’t Yang the older sister to Ruby, this was Yang the Huntress, and Weiss could tell that she wasn’t going to get off so easy this time.

“Uncle Qrow told me why you might be in Vale, after you went to sleep. So I wanna know for sure. And if I don’t like your answer, I’m just gonna stake you here and make you explain yourself to Ruby.” Yang’s eyes glowed a fierce red, her hair lightly smoldering.

“What did your uncle tell you?” Weiss asked cautiously.

“That you’re here to steal Ruby. Make her a vampire.”

“That.. Yes. That is why my father sent me, but before you stake me: I don’t plan to go through with his plans.” Weiss held her hands up to placate Yang as she spoke.

“Can’t he just force you to do what he says? Or were you born a vampire?”

“I was born. My father is actually my father, I wasn’t sired.” Weiss sat up as Yang relaxed somewhat, despite keeping the stake at the ready.

“What do you plan to do when your father finds out you’re not under his thumb anymore?”

“I… I hadn’t thought that far, yet.” Weiss sighed, looking away.

Yang backhanded Weiss in such a way as to expose her chest, before driving the stake into Weiss’ heart. Weiss barely contained a scream from the pain, immediately trying to bring an arm up to yank that stake out. She was too late, feeling the paralysis overwhelm her as she thumped back down onto the bed.

“So make a plan. Now.” Yang growled, fetching a hammer from the bookshelf. “You’ve got thirty minutes before Ruby gets here.”

Weiss wheezed out a complaint about the stake, but Yang only responded by raising the hammer. “F-Fine…” Weiss groaned, still trying to get some part of her body to move.

She would freely admit that she had no experience in dealing with pain. Apart from the few duels she had to participate in during her tutoring, the worst pain she felt was maybe a burn from a meal that was too hot. So coming up with a plan while a stake was in her heart was, she hoped, understandably difficult.

Thankfully, she was still a Schnee, so she wasn’t completely incapacitated by the pain. She pondered a dangerous gambit: continuing with her father’s direction to get close to Ruby, and telling him that things were progressing slowly when he asked. If she could keep this up for long enough, she could cement herself a power base with the local vampire populace that, while nowhere near as competent as her father’s people, would still be able to keep Ruby safe.

When her father began making demands for Weiss to subtly abduct Ruby, she could safely refuse and send the two into hiding. Maybe even move to another kingdom (Mistral, obviously. Vacuo was far too dangerous,) to make it harder for him to track them. Maybe should sire a few vampires for a more powerful personal guard? Because of her Schnee blood, any vampires she sired would be a force to be reckoned with; if they had the proper training.

The plan was mostly solid, but it relied on her father trusting her word. She had to continue giving him status updates, but not so many that she slipped up and let him know what she was planning. It was also the only thing she could come up with on such short notice, so she weakly looked to Yang. “Ha… Have… plan… n-now…” She struggled to speak now, with only minutes remaining on Yang’s timer. The stake was too far into her heart for her to speak any further. She had already wasted what precious little energy she had complaining.

Yang casually ripped the stake from Weiss’ chest, the scent of her blood filling the air. Weiss let out a few pained gasps, one hand reaching up to cover the hole in her chest. She glared defiantly up at Yang, who just crossed her arms.

“So let’s hear it.” Yang said, her voice tense.

“My father… will get suspicious, if I deviate from his plan in the slightest. So, I’m going to continue with it, except changing the goal. I remain here in Vale, go about my life, befriend Ruby and.. anyone else that would be required, and send him periodic status updates. I don’t tell him exactly what’s going on, of course.”

“And what’s really going to be going on, to protect Ruby?” Yang’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m going to be putting together a private security force. Consisting mostly of vampires that I’ll ensure have no ties to Atlas, or my father. If I have to, I’ll even go so far as to sire new vampires. But only from volunteers, of course. When my father asks me to pressure Ruby into going to Atlas, so he can abduct her, I’m going to take the both of us into hiding. Somewhere outside Vale, probably Vacuo.” She hoped she could get away with not being entirely honest.

“Go into hiding? Until what, your pops gets bored and decides he’ll kidnap someone else’s sister?” Yang shook her head.

“He’s going to continue stealing people, whether he gets Ruby or not. The only way to stop him is to kill him. And attempting that would be suicide.” Weiss could tell that Yang was about to stake her again. Her plan wasn’t good enough.

Yang grimaced, but looked away and put the stake aside on a small cloth. “It’s better than anything I was able to come up with.” She muttered, turning around and sitting on the foot of the bed.

“How do you plan on explaining the hole in my chest to Ruby?” Weiss asked, crossing her arms.

“I’ll just tell her I gave you the ‘older sister’ talk. Make her think that you’re actually, y’know, interested in her. And not just acting.” Yang shrugged. “Plus, I’ve got some of my blood set aside for if I ever have vampires for company. You can have some, if you want.”

“Well, it’s better than nothing. Fresh blood would be best, but I won’t hold my breath. Where do you keep it?” Weiss placed a hand back over the hole in her chest, not wanting her blood to leak out and stain her dress.

“Should be a pack over on the bookshelf.” Yang gestured in the vague direction of the bookshelf, resting her elbows on her knees and sighing.

Weiss got out of bed, swaying somewhat. She really needed fresh blood, getting staked had weakened her more than she thought. Nevertheless, she wasn’t in any sort of state to get anything more than blood from a pack, so she stumbled over to the bookshelf and moved the stuffed animals around. Once she found the blood pack, she popped open the plastic seal originally intended for use in an IV and began drinking deeply from the pack.

It was stale as could be expected, but Yang hadn’t been lying about it being hers. The taste of her aura was almost overpowering, but Weiss was too thirsty to care. She could also taste the spiciness and heat of dragon’s blood, which made it considerably more enjoyable a ‘meal’ than what she was used to, here in Vale. It only took her a few moments to drain the pack, and she immediately looked around for another. Huntress blood was so much better than what she was used to, and she couldn’t keep from pouting when she discovered Yang had only set aside one pack.

No matter, it was enough for her to heal the hole in her chest. She still felt drained, but at least her senses were as sharp as she wanted. A quick trip home, or to the blood bank, and she’d be fully prepared to face whatever came at her. Including a hyperactive Reaper girl…

“When did you say Ruby was going to arrive?” Weiss wondered, looking to Yang.

“Should only be a few minutes. Unless her check-up at the hospital took longer than she thought.” Yang looked up. “...Shit, she’s almost here. I gotta go clean something up!” She suddenly cried out, leaping from the bed and rushing from the room.

Weiss blinked a few times. What could she possibly have done that prompted a reaction like that. She pondered it for a few moments before deciding that she ought to wait a few moments before leaving the room.

After a few minutes of frenzied activity from the living room, Yang finally ducked her head into the room. “It’s safe to come out.” She says, before heading back out.

Safe? Weiss highly doubted that, but she nonetheless decided that leaving the room was better than staying. Whatever her thoughts on the matter, she decided to head into the living room. Yang was busy shoving someone out the front door, making hushed promises to call them later.

“Wait… Did you really just stake me when there was someone else here?” Weiss asked, incredulous.

“He was in the shower!” Yang protested, closing the door and slumping against it. “Besides, they didn’t seem to mind that I had a knocked-out vampire in the other room.”

“You--!” Weiss inhaled sharply, exasperation and fury readily apparent on her face. She took a few breaths to calm herself down before she went on a tirade before settling on simply saying: “You are the most immature Huntress I have ever met.” She simply took a seat on the couch and crossed her legs, ignoring the laughing coming from Yang.

“Damn, Weiss, you really need to lighten up if you’re gonna make friends with Ruby.” She said, chuckling. “I recommend getting laid. Does wonders for mellowing you out.”

“I don’t need to ‘mellow out,’ I need to stay focused and make sure this plan goes well.” Weiss crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. She really wished she had the strength to get to her own home, that morning. She didn’t appreciate Yang’s boisterous nature. She was either too happy-go-lucky or too efficient at being a Huntress.

“And if making sure the plan goes well involves mellowing out?” Yang wondered, heading to one of the windows to look outside.

“I’m certain that it won’t.” Weiss shifted to one side, not wanting any of the waning sunlight from outside to touch her.

Yang closed the curtain and shrugged. “Keeping a stick up your ass will only make keeping your little deception with your dad a secret harder. It’ll be better if you just go ahead and yank it out, y’know?”

“I do not have a stick up my ass!” Weiss yelled.

Yang just laughed again, heading for the kitchen. “Yeah, sure. Okay, ice queen. I’m getting a beer. You want one?”

“I’ll pass, thank you.” Weiss growled. When was Ruby going to arrive and put an end to her torment?

Yang returned from the kitchen with an open beer in one hand, and a breadstick in the other. Speaking around the bread in her mouth, she looked to Weiss. “So, where you takin’ Rubes tonight? Somewhere all fancy and full of vampires?”

“ _Mistral Fire_ ,” she said. “And no, I specifically chose it because of the lack of vampires, therians, or Hunters there.”

“ _Mistral Fire_?... Oh, yeah, I’m friends with the owner. She’s a retired huntress. Pyrrha’s a good person, won’t give you any trouble. Hell, she might give you a discount for finally getting Rubes a date.” Yang took a swig of her beer.

“She’s retired?” Weiss wondered, tilting her head. “But she doesn’t look any older than you are.”

“Well, for one, you’re not exactly an expert on how humans age, given how you don’t. For two, she’s retired because it’s hard to be a mom and a Huntress at the same time. When her kids are a bit more grown, I’m pretty sure she’s gonna get back in the saddle and get back to hunting Grimm.” A knocking came from the door, and Yang went to answer it.

Weiss blinked a few times. How could she have missed those details about the owner of Mistral Fire? She hoped that she hadn’t slipped elsewhere in her reconnaissance.

Ruby sauntered into the room, hands clasped behind her back. She was wearing a skirt, much like Weiss’ own, but with a red and black colour scheme. She was also wearing a cloak much like the one she had as a reaper, but it was much shorter. “Hi, Weiss!” She said, grinning.

Weiss stood up, raising a brow. “You seem to be in a good mood.” She commented, glancing to Yang.

Yang slammed the door closed behind Ruby with a foot before going to flop into an armchair. “She gets to go on a date with a hot chick. ‘Course she’s in a good mood.”

“It’s not a date!” Ruby protested, frowning at Yang. “I’m just introducing Weiss to the city, like she should be! Tell her all the good spots to hang out, places to eat!”

“Despite my rath--” Weiss was cut off by Yang’s continued teasing of Ruby.

“You sure most of those places aren’t just different spots in your apartment? Like, say, the bedroom?”

“I really don’t think she--”

“Yang! Stop!” Ruby yelled, pouting a bit. “How’m I supposed to make friends with Weiss if you keep doing this!”

“Would you two stop bickering!?” Weiss demanded, stamping her foot. Her patience was wearing thin. Not that it wasn’t always, but these continued antics were making it especially thin.

“Thank you, Weiss! And-- hey, was that hole always in your shirt?” Ruby finally seemed to notice the hole. Thankfully, it was only in her shirt now, and she wasn’t leaking blood everywhere.

“Oh, Yang just gave me the ‘older sister’ talk. It involved a brief staking.” Weiss shrugged nonchalantly. “No big deal.”

“What? Yang, you can’t just stake people like that!” Ruby started looking over Weiss to see if Yang had done anything else.

“She didn’t seem to mind. ‘Sides, I already apologized.” Yang picked up a television remote and set about channel surfing.

“Weiss, did she really apologize?” Ruby frowned.

“Yes, she did. And she even promised not to do it again, unless I step far out of line.” Weiss crossed her arms.

Ruby let out a relieved sigh. “Well, that’s good to hear. Is the sun down enough for you to leave, Weiss?”

“It should be, by now. But, would you mind if we make a small detour to my apartment first? I’d rather like to change my clothes.”

“Just make sure you remember what first date material is, Rubes.” Yang said with a laugh.

Ruby just grabbed Weiss’ wrist and dragged her out of Yang’s apartment, grumbling about ‘stupid older sisters.’

 

* * *

 

Ruby giggled somewhat, skipping lightly down the streets. As much as she wanted to openly call the night’s outing a date, she still didn’t know how Weiss thought about her. Thankfully, they had just set out from Weiss’ apartment.

“What are you giggling about?” Weiss wondered, raising an eyebrow. Ruby wondered why she did that so much, there was other ways of showing a lack of understanding.

“Oh, nothing. So, where are we going? I could show you some things along the way.” Ruby grinned. She hoped she wasn’t coming on too strong.

“Have you heard of a place called _Mistral Fire_?” Weiss asked, turning down a side road.

“Yeah! Their mochas are delicious. But, erh, you do know that the owner is a Huntress, right? I mean, she never goes after vampires, she specializes in Grimm, but a Huntress is still a Huntress…” Ruby was a bit confused by this. She did like Pyrrha’s cafe, but Weiss did say she didn’t want any Hunters about.

“She’s temporarily retired, as I hear it told. And I only learned about her being a Huntress from Yang, earlier today. It doesn’t change my mind about the establishment, however.”

“Oh, okay! Well, I know a pretty good street bazaar, that’s on the way to it. This part of town is where most of the vampires live, so most of the vendors there wouldn’t have a problem with you.” Ruby smiled sheepishly.

“So long as we don’t take too long, perusing the wares.” Weiss gestured for Ruby to lead the way.

Ruby let out a small squeal of delight, taking Weiss’ hand and pulling her along. She grinned over her shoulder at the indignant look Weiss gave her, simply hurrying along. It didn’t take the pair long to actually reach the bazaar she mentioned, and it was packed by all manner of people.

Weiss wrinkled her nose at the crowd, but Ruby just tugged her into one of the rows of vendors. “C’mon, Weiss, this’ll be fun! There’s a jeweler up ahead that I’m sure you’ll like!”

“I hope you don’t expect me to buy anything.” Weiss grumbled.

Ruby giggled again. “You don’t have to buy anything. Just looking is most of the fun! Oh! And there’s this Atlesian werecat a few rows over that sells these amazing little bits of food from Atlas. Like, she makes them herself, and they’re really tasty.”

“Ruby, it’s the first night of the full moon. I doubt we’ll see her.” Weiss smiled somewhat, despite her comment.

“People from Vale don’t care if you’re transformed or not. I’ve seen her out and about before, on full moon nights.”

“Really? Then I suppose we’ll have to stop by, won’t we?”

“Yeah! Oh, and there’s another place that’s just as cool, they sell weapons. Well, not entire weapons, but like, parts. Oh! And I’ll be able to buy some of those parts soon!” She released Weiss’ hand. Ruby didn’t know why she was suddenly so energetic, but she really didn’t think that she should hide it. After all, it wasn’t like she was phoning it in, so Weiss should pick up on the hint that she was enjoying herself.

“And why are you going to be buying the parts? Your Reaper self already had a weapon.”

“Well, yeah, but apparently it was just condensed aura. At least, that’s what my uncle thinks. And I don’t know how to use that. So, I’ll be making my own weapon so that I don’t have to rely on something that might not even work for me. Well, me me, not Reaper me.” Ruby shrugged, trying to find the fastest path she could to the jeweler she mentioned.

“Condensed aura? That must have been incredibly tiring. No wonder you passed out, when that vampire blew up that Dust crystal at your feet.”

“Wait, what? No one mentioned an explosion to me.” Ruby blinked. Did she really get blown up?

“Well, there was a small explosion. Only a small, palm-sized Dust crystal, at most. Which is why you had to have been tired out from the drugs they gave you, and using that aura scythe, to get knocked out like you did.”

“Well, that’s a thing, I guess. Oh! There he is!” She hurried forward, stopping in front of a small stall adorned with jewelry of all kinds. There wasn’t much of a crowd in front of the stall, only a couple of teenagers looking over the remarkably affordably priced wares on sale.

“Ah, hello Ruby!” He said, grinning. “Here to take a look at that rose necklace, again? You know I can easily let you have it on credit.”

Weiss chuckled, amused by the salesman. She bent over slightly, to get a look at the wares he had for sale.

“Not here to buy tonight, Regi. Just looking, showing my friend here around town.” She knelt down, glancing over the rest of the jeweler’s stock. He really seemed to like dealing in necklaces, or maybe that’s just what he most commonly came across? Either way, the majority of the jewelry in his stall was necklaces of all kinds, for any occasion.

Weiss let out an impressed little hum, straightening. “This is quite the collection.” She murmured, tilting her head this way and that as she looked at one piece in particular.

“Wha’cha lookin’ at?” Ruby asked, trying to follow Weiss’ gaze.

“The sapphire pendant there. The one in the shape of a snowflake.” She crossed her arms, one hand reaching into her purse.

“Ah, that one!” Regi said, opening the case to take it out and hold it up so that Weiss could see it better. “One of my older pieces. It apparently came from the collection of an old vampiress in Vacuo. At least, that’s what the person that sold it to me said.”

Ruby stood up. She had seen this pendant quite a few times before, but now that Weiss was interested in it, she seemed to see it in a different light. Maybe if things go well with her, Ruby could buy it for her as a gift?

“Did the seller happen to mention the vampiress’ name?” Weiss asked, tapping one foot.

“Nope. But it does have that sort of look, doesn’t it? There’s just something about this that says ‘I would look great on the neck of a beautiful vampiress,’ isn’t there?” He smirked lightly.

Weiss opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by an angry shout. “You!” Someone said. Ruby looked around, blinking in surprise when she noticed that the person was pointing at Weiss, and rapidly approaching.

“You’re Weiss Schnee, aren’t you?” The stranger practically growled their question.

“Yes. Have we met?” Weiss directed her attention to the newcomer as the stall owner put the pendant away.

The man spat at Weiss’ feet. “No, but I don’t have to have met you to know you’re just as bad as your father! Your whole damn family!” He yelled.

Ruby tried getting between the two. “Hey, she’s not that bad. She’s actually really nice.”

“Yeah, you think they’re nice, until they take your benefits and lay you off!” He yelled, pushing Ruby aside. “The people of Vale won’t let your family shoehorn their company into our kingdom, d’you hear! So you can just go back to Atlas and rot!”

Weiss looked on the verge of tears, but she simply reached up and slapped the man before storming off. Ruby frowned, looking between the man and Weiss before following after her. She quickly lost Weiss in the crowd.

“Weiss?” She called out, not abandoning her search. She searched for a long time before she spotted Weiss at the edge of the crowd, near an alleyway. Ruby made a beeline for Weiss, hoping that the angry man hadn’t followed her.

“Weiss, what was that about?” Ruby asked, stopping just behind her. She frowned, hoping Weiss still wanted to go get coffee.

“I’m not my father.” Weiss responded simply, stalking into the alleyway.

Ruby followed her, a bit confused. “Of course you aren’t, Weiss. You’re you. So why’d you let that guy get to you so badly? He’s just angry and stupid.”

Weiss immediately rounded on Ruby, one hand raised. Ruby flinched, backing against the wall. “Then why do people still insist on comparing me to him! Punishing me for his actions!”

Ruby closed her eyes. “I don’t know. But, I don’t, Weiss.” She said, hoping to calm her down.

Weiss lowers her hand and sighs, scowling. “I bet you don’t even know who my father is. What he’s done.”

“I don’t. But I don’t care. I mean, he’s all the way back in Atlas, right?”

“He is.” Weiss narrowed her eyes. Something about her gaze had a chilling predatory element, but Ruby fought back the urge to move away.

“So why does it even matter? If anyone gives you a hard time ‘cause you’re related to him, then… Well, you just know that you don’t have to waste your time on them. Right?”

Weiss narrowed her eyes further before she relaxed and turned around. “Right.” She said, crossing her arms. Ruby frowned. The night wasn’t going so well.

When Weiss didn’t break the silence that fell between them, Ruby spoke up. “Weiss, when was the last time you had a decent drink? Like, one you actually enjoyed?”

“Back in Atlas. I never had to drink from packs, there. My family hired people to feed us. So, I haven’t really been able to enjoy any of the blood down here.” She sighed. “The closest I’ve gotten to actually enjoying the blood here would be earlier tonight, when your sister gave me a pack of her blood to help me heal the hole she left when she staked me.”

“And I take it that you don’t feel particularly good, even after that drink, do you?”

Weiss shook her head. “No. Stale blood can only do so much.”

“Weiss, turn around.” Ruby said, putting on her best smile.

Weiss turned around, a confused look on your face. “Why are you asking this.”

“Would it calm you down if you had a bit of fresh blood? Take your mind off things so you can concentrate on having fun tonight? Y’know, coffee with a friend?” Ruby chuckled nervously.

“Are you.. offering me some of your blood?” Weiss recoiled slightly in surprise.

Ruby nodded. “I am. I don’t like seeing my friends hurt, even if they’re hurting inside and not outside. And, y’know, I’m kind’of a sucker for helping people.”

Weiss blinked a few times. “Ruby, your sister would kill me. I’m pretty sure your uncle would too.”

“They won’t if I tell them that I offered it to you. Besides, you look like you could use it. You’re paler than usual.” Ruby leaned her head to one side. “Just don’t go expecting a drink every time you see me. I don’t think I’d be able to keep that up.”

“You’re right, you wouldn’t. But.. are you really okay with me drinking from you?”

“Yep.” Ruby nodded. Would Weiss really do it? She wondered what it felt like.

“Alright then. Look me in the eyes, Ruby.” Weiss put one hand up to Ruby’s cheek, gently guiding her to make eye contact.

“Okay…” Ruby was suddenly nervous. Weiss’ face was close to hers. She looked like she was about to kiss her. Maybe she would? Ruby couldn’t stop her train of thought as she looked into Weiss’ eyes. They just kept coming closer and closer, growing larger as the rest of the world seemed to grow smaller.

Eventually, Ruby wasn’t even aware of the rest of the world. All that mattered was Weiss’ eyes, those twin chips of ice. She was falling through an endless void of blue now, a thick blanket thrown over her mind. She didn’t mind it, though, it was relaxing. Comforting.

She suddenly felt a pair of pricks on her neck, followed by a curious tingling sensation that radiated outwards from them. Ruby was vaguely aware that she was gripping Weiss’ shirt, but she didn’t move her hands. Her neck slowly began to feel cold, and the coldness radiated outwards from the pinpricks.

Something inside Ruby stirred, making her want to force Weiss away, but she resisted that urge. The coldness continued to spread through her, touching every part of her body. The stirring returned, more insistent this time. Finally, Weiss pulled away and Ruby’s senses returned.

Weiss looked somewhat startled, and was busy fishing around in her purse.

Ruby felt light-headed and dizzy, and she felt something on her face. She gently moved her hands up to feel her face, only to find that there was a bony mask on it now. She blinked a few times, her mind churning slowly.

Weiss pressed a handkerchief against Ruby’s neck, trying to get Ruby to look at her. “Ruby?” She asked. “Are you there?”

Why was Weiss worried? “Of course I am.” She said, tugging at the mask. Irritating, the stupid thing wouldn’t come off.

“Okay, good. I just thought… I thought you weren’t you, there for a moment.” Weiss kept the handkerchief pressed against Ruby’s neck.

“What does that mean, Weiss?” Ruby’s mind slowly caught back up with the world. She noticed that everything had a slight red tinge to it, and that blues were muted.

“You’ve got the Grimm mask, Ruby. Or, well, the Reaper’s mask.” Weiss sounded worried. “And you told me to get out… Or the other you did.”

Suddenly, everything clicked back into place. Ruby found a pair of switches on either side of the mask, and pressed them so that she could remove the mask. She tossed it aside. “Sorry… But, hey, at least you’ve got the blood now?” She said, placing a hand over the handkerchief so that Weiss didn’t have to hold it there anymore. Weiss backed away a few paces, frowning.

“I do, yes. But are you alright? I got a bit greedy, there.”

Ruby chuckled. “Just a bit light headed. Nothing a cup of coffee and some of Pyrrha’s cooking won’t fix.” She grinned. “Ready to get going? No more of the angry Weiss?”

Weiss paused for a few moments. “Yes. I think it would be good to get to Mistral Fire now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought they were going to kiss, weren't you? Well, they're not. Yet. Am I teasing you too much?
> 
> Small tidbits of how vampires work, in this fic:  
> Staking a vampire only paralyzes them, and only if it catches them in the heart. If the stake passes completely through the heart, the vampire begins to slowly die, but it's a slow (and agonizing) process.
> 
> Being bitten by a vampire doesn't mean you'll be turned into one. To become a vampire, you have to be fed upon first, and then fed a small portion of the vampire's blood. The transformation takes two days to complete, during which time feeding upon a human (or near-human)'s blood accelerates the process. There is a medicine that stops the process, and all Hunters that deal with vampires carry it with them.
> 
> Edit (13/6/15):  
> I knew something would happen just as soon as I set myself a schedule! Unfortunately, due to IRL complications, I won't be able to update until Friday 19 (19/6/15). Updates after then will be M/W/F.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss and Ruby go on their 'date,' and Blake runs into her own dilemma.

“Alright then. Look me in the eyes, Ruby.” Weiss put one hand up to Ruby’s cheek, gently guiding her to make eye contact.

“Okay…” Ruby did as she was told.

Weiss leaned her face in closer to Ruby, keeping her eyes locked onto Ruby’s. She could feel Ruby’s mind dulling, feel her being temporarily drawn into Weiss’ own. Ruby was focused on one thing: Weiss. Good, that meant she hadn’t lost her touch in this past month.

Weiss smirked somewhat as she continued to suppress Ruby’s mind. It was  remarkably easy, but then she never had any difficulties before so she didn’t pay much thought to it. Slowly, she tilted Ruby’s head to one side before lowering her face to her neck.

She smelled of roses. Weiss silently berated herself: she was supposed to be biting her, not wondering how she got the smell to be so authentic. She took a breath to prepare herself before baring her fangs and sinking them into Ruby’s neck. Weiss closed her eyes, bracing herself for the flavor Ruby was likely to have.

Heat.

Cinnamon.

A slight hint of cherry.

Weiss stopped caring about the individual elements of Ruby’s blood, together it was wonderous. She could safely say it was the best she had ever tasted. So she kept drinking, much more than the simple sip she had originally planned on. She felt almost immediately invigorated, the soreness in her chest from the earlier staking was gone. The dull pounding in her head from living off cold, stale blood was gone.

Her senses sharpened, and she could feel herself growing strong enough to safely peer into someone else’s mind for a short time. She debated the pros and cons of looking into Ruby’s mind, perhaps finding out what might help stay on her good side. Eventually, she decided that a quick peek wouldn’t hurt.

She tentatively peeked into Ruby’s mind, and was immediately faced by a sobering realization. Ruby really did have a crush on her. She had suspected it, but she had seen how assumptions regarding someone else’s feelings always backfired, so she decided not to act on it. But now she actually knew. Would this help?

She decided to look a little further, trying to find useful information, but something _other_ stopped her. She heard a deadly whisper of _“Get. OUT!”_ in the back of her mind. It was then that she noticed Ruby clutching onto her. She was shivering.

Weiss berated herself again. It wasn’t becoming of a vampire of her status to lose herself in her prey. She unclenched her jaw from Ruby’s neck, backing away. The wound should heal fine on its own, but it might still be a bit leaky now. Did she keep her handkerchief on her?

She averted her gaze from Ruby, not knowing if she’d see the happy young woman or the Reaper. She didn’t know which she’d prefer, right now. Finally, she found her handkerchief and glanced to Ruby. She had to suppress a frightened shiver at seeing that mask again. Thankfully, Ruby seemed as confused about it as Weiss was, so she felt safe in approaching her again to press her handkerchief against the small red dots where Weiss’ fangs broke the skin.

“Ruby? Are you there?” She asked, unable to keep a bit of worry from creeping into her voice.

Ruby stopped fumbling with the mask and looked at Weiss. “Of course I am.”

“Okay, good. I just thought… I thought you weren’t you, there for a moment.” Weiss kept the handkerchief pressed against Ruby’s neck.

“What does that mean, Weiss?” Ruby seemed to be finally coming completely out of the trance.

“You’ve got the Grimm mask, Ruby. Or, well, the Reaper’s mask.” Weiss frowned, wondering if the two were really any different. “And you told me to get out… Or the other you did.”

Ruby paused for a moment before finding some sort of clasp on the mask, undoing it and tossing it aside. “Sorry… But, hey, at least you’ve got the blood now?” She asked, placing a hand over the handkerchief so that Weiss didn’t have to hold it there anymore. Weiss backed away a few paces, frowning.

“I do, yes. But are you alright? I got a bit greedy, there.” Greedy didn’t begin to describe how she had gotten.

Ruby chuckled. “Just a bit light headed. Nothing a cup of coffee and some of Pyrrha’s cooking won’t fix.” She grinned. “Ready to get going? No more of the angry Weiss?”

Weiss paused for a few moments. “Yes. I think it would be good to get to _Mistral Fire_ now.” She hoped that this Pyrrha woman wouldn’t mind the fact that she had just bitten Ruby.

Ruby began leading the way, occasionally stumbling. Weiss frowned, her thoughts turning to everything that had happened recently. If her father knew that Ruby was a Reaper, then maybe the group that had kidnapped her knew as well. She cast a suspicious glance around, trying to see if any of the people on the street were paying them any attention.

Thankfully, they remained out of the attention of everyone around them. She supposed they could just be out of sight, but there wasn’t anything that she could do about that. Ruby turned down one of the more populated streets, and Weiss knew they were getting close to the cafe. Good, she couldn’t stand the feeling of vulnerability that came with being in the open, especially now that she had decided on betraying her father and the possibility of there being another group of vampires after Ruby. How protective could she get before she became paranoid? Weiss remained absorbed in her thoughts until they reached _Mistral Fire._

“Hi Ruby!” A happy voice called from the counter. Weiss raised a brow as she inspected the woman standing at the cash register. She had bright red hair held in a ponytail by a bronze circlet inlaid with what looked to be emeralds. Her eyes matched the colour of the emeralds in her jewelery.

“Hey, Pyrrha! Sorry I haven’t been by in a while. Been a bit busy with work.” Ruby grinned as she walked up to the counter. She also offered a wave to a blonde man sitting in one of the booths, entertaining a pair of children. Remarkably, there were few other patrons in the cafe, despite the time.

“It’s alright. And the lady with you must be the Weiss I heard so much about.” Pyrrha smiled warmly to Weiss.

Ruby blinked a few times. “Uh.. Did you talk to Yang today?” She asked, sounding suspicious.

Weiss silently prayed that Yang hadn’t been through here. She didn’t know if she could handle rumors spreading around the Hunter community, about her.

Pyrrha nodded. “Yeah. She and her boyfriend came through, and she mentioned Weiss.” She then leaned forward, whispering something to Ruby.

Despite her trying, Weiss was unable to hear what was said. She didn’t need much of an imagination though, as Ruby let out a small ‘eep!’ and leaned away. “Pyrrha! That’s not how it is! Besides, you should know better than to listen to Yang.” Ruby said, pouting.

Pyrrha let out a laugh, shaking her head lightly. “Okay, I won’t tease. Still, what will the two of you be having?”

“Just an espresso, for me.” Weiss said, opening her purse again.

Ruby let out a long, thoughtful hum. “I’ll have… a ‘Xiao Long’ size white chocolate mocha, with dark chocolate sprinkles, a Mistrali salad with strawberries, and.. Oh, what sandwiches do you have today?”

Pyrrha typed away on the register’s keyboard, keeping track of the order. “We have the classic Vale, the Atlas Reuben, Roast Beef, Mistrali Pita, and grilled cheese.”

“Atlas Reuben. Actually, make it two Reubens.” Ruby shifted from one foot to another, staring at a small cabinet of cookies.

“I’ll just add on the two cookies you _always_ get.” Pyrrha chuckled.

“Make it one cookie tonight.” Ruby said, nodding. Weiss wondered if the small girl next to her would be able to eat everything she had just ordered.

“Okay… Your total is nineteen lien.” Pyrrha looked up from the register.

Before Ruby could get out the money, Weiss put the payment on the counter. “I’m buying.” She said, when she noticed Ruby about to protest.

“Alright… Why don’t you go pick us out a table? I’m gonna go say hi to Jaune and the kids.”

She nodded, heading for the booth in the far corner. She could easily keep her back to the wall and keep an eye on anyone that entered the cafe. She smiled to herself, in spite of her worries. Ruby, at least, was a good enough person that she could enjoy her company. Even if she was a bit dense, at times.

Weiss watched as Ruby played with a small boy, no more than two years old. She wondered what it was like, to not have to worry about who she was. _What_ she was. Ruby didn’t seem to have a care in the world, and Weiss admired her for that.

She blinked, shaking her head. _“No. That’s not one of my thoughts. I must have stayed in Ruby’s mind for too long.”_ She thought to herself. She was about to start berating herself when a small cup of espresso was placed before her.

“Something on your mind?” Pyrrha asked, setting all of Ruby’s food on the table as well.

“That obvious?” Weiss wondered.

“You shook your head after watching Ruby playing with my son, and you had a.. wishful sort of look on your face.”

“I suppose that is rather obvious, isn’t it?” Weiss frowned.

“Yang mentioned that you’re a vampire. And, I know that you must have already gotten an earful from Yang but… What is your attitude, towards Ruby? Are you actually her friend, or are you looking for an easy meal?” Pyrrha frowned at Weiss.

She shook her head. “No, Pyrrha. I’m actually her friend. At least, I hope to be. I hardly know her, as it is.” Weiss sipped on her espresso as she gauged Pyrrha’s reaction,

Pyrrha seemed confused. “Yang said that you two were sleeping together.”

Weiss choked on her espresso. “She _what?!_ ”

“So, you’re not sleeping with Ruby?”

“Of course not! I’ve only known her for a month!” Weiss was going to need to have some very strong words with Yang about what was and wasn’t proper jokes to play on her sister, and her sister’s friends.

“I only knew Jaune for about a week before I realized I had feelings for him.” Pyrrha chuckled.

“You’re a human. You don’t have… _eternity_ to try finding someone.” Weiss frowned at Pyrrha’s rather light stance on the matter.

“No, but really, you don’t need eternity. Sometimes the right person just comes along.” She didn’t wait for Weiss’ reply, deciding that a retreat to go finish making Ruby’s coffee was the smarter choice.

Unfortunately, Ruby also came over to the table. “Heya, Weiss. What were you and Pyrrha talking about?”

“Nothing important.” She grumbled, taking a sip from her coffee.

Ruby didn’t seem phased by her answer, opting instead to start taking large bites from her salad. “You sure you don’t want something, Weiss? I mean, I know you drank a lot, and all, but still: Pyrrha’s food is great!”

“I’m sure. Besides, I’m still mostly full from… earlier.” Weiss gestured vaguely to Ruby’s neck.

“There’s always room for cookies though.” Ruby grinned, deciding to take a bite from a (horrifyingly large, in Weiss’ opinion,) chocolate chip cookie. “Or strawberries.”

“I highly doubt that. I’m surprised that you got so much food in the first place.” Weiss looked over the meal. “Are you sure you can eat it all?”

“Well, yeah. Otherwise I wouldn’t have ordered it. This is about the amount I always get.” Ruby shrugged, looking around. Pyrrha waved slightly, as she started coming back to their table.

“I highly doubt that. You’re tiny! If this is the size of your usual meal, then you wouldn’t be so petite.” Weiss chuckled.

“She’s telling the truth. This is actually a light meal for her.” Pyrrha set Ruby’s mocha down in front of her.

Ruby immediately downed a large portion of the mocha before turning her attention back to her salad. Weiss sighed, shaking her head. Ruby had to be the most unusual woman she’d ever met.

“What’s that look for, Weiss?” Ruby asked with a chuckle. That insufferably adorable, care-free chuckle.

“I was simply marveling at the fact that you have a metabolism that would put squirrels to shame.”

“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad. Besides, I’m sure that all the nonsense with uh.. that problem of mine.. can explain how much I eat. Right?” Ruby paused, stopping short of mentioning what happened the previous night.

Weiss frowned. That would explain some of what she saw. Moving as fast as she had been had to be draining. “That’s actually quite the handy explanation.” She said. “You were moving pretty fast.”

Ruby grinned, pushing aside the empty salad plate and pulling one of her sandwiches towards her. “So, you’re from Atlas, right?” Ruby wondered, taking a bite.

Weiss raised a brow. Ruby certainly liked to switch topics fast. “Yes. I spent the majority of my life there, when I wasn’t abroad helping my father oversee his business.”

“What’s it like there? Is it really as cold as people say it is?”

“I’m not the person to ask. I am a vampire, after all. Temperature… Isn’t my forte. Everything is dull, except when I’m drinking.” She bared one of her fangs, to put emphasis on what exactly she meant. “I can say, however, that it’s just as bland looking as people say it is. The buildings are all made of the same dark coloured stone, perpetually covered in snow except on the seafront, and all the same height. It’s only on the interiors of the buildings where one can truly find the character of the owner.”

Ruby slowly chewed her sandwich, letting out a thoughtful hum. “Why’s it all look the same on the outside?”

Weiss looked to the door as the bell above it rang. A small family entered, immediately striking up a conversation with Pyrrha at the counter. She watched for a moment more before looking back to Ruby. “You can thank my father for that. He managed to get some particularly strict regulations on building construction passed. And because no one on the council particularly enjoys standing up to him, they haven’t been repealed.”

“Wait, so your dad’s in politics?”

“He used to be. He’s not strictly allowed to be involved in them, anymore, but people always listen to money. So he’s managed to keep quite the grip on Atlesian domestic affairs, by bribing the right people.” Weiss snorted. “It’s reprehensible, really.”

“No wonder you don’t like him. He doesn’t sound like he’s that great a person.” Ruby frowned, popping the last of the sandwich into her mouth.

“No, he really isn’t. To be quite frank, I’m enjoying my time here in Vale more than I had ever enjoyed my family’s estate in Atlas.” Weiss sipped her espresso. Enjoyable is the farthest word from her time spent in Atlas.

“At least you’re having fun here. You could probably move here permanently, if you wanted. I mean, you said that vampires aren’t well liked in Atlas, and there’s not many here who actually hate vampires…” Ruby took a bite from her second sandwich.

“You make it sound as if I’m not already here permanently.” Weiss smirked somewhat. If that wasn’t an obvious attempt by Ruby to get her to stick around, she didn’t know what was.

Ruby blinked a few times. “You, uh.. You’re not just visiting Vale?”

“No, I’m here indefinitely. I’m overseeing the opening of a Vale branch of the Schnee corporation. Until my it’s up and running, and my father assigns a replacement, I’m going to stay here in Vale. Even then, because I’ve already invested in my own ventures here, I might end up staying after that.” Weiss didn’t mention that the ‘other ventures’ she brought up was betraying her father and keeping Ruby from becoming a vampire, but she reasoned that Ruby didn’t need to know that until she absolutely had to know.

“Oh. Well, that’s cool. But, once the branch is open, are you still gonna come by the blood bank? Or are you gonna have another way to, y’know..”

“I’ll still come see you at the blood bank. After all, where else can I find such an adorable young woman to sell me blood while also rather obviously flirting with me?” Weiss smirked at Ruby’s reaction.

Ruby blushed, looking to one side. “I, uh.. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t flirt with you.” She stammered. “That’d be unprofessional, yeah?”

Weiss restrained herself from laughing, covering her mouth with a hand. She smiled, shaking her head. “You always deny it so fiercely. I wonder why?” Now she knew why Yang and Blake kept teasing Ruby.

“I… Why is everyone teasing me, lately?” She pouted.

Weiss couldn’t keep herself from laughing, this time. “It’s because your reactions are hilarious. And that pout is, quite frankly, adorable.”

Ruby just mumbled into her sandwich, focusing on it instead of Weiss. Weiss’ smile grew as she sipped her espresso. She didn’t know why, but what was originally just a ploy to get close to Ruby for her plan to work was suddenly becoming much more genuine. She didn’t feel strangled by Ruby’s presence, despite her boundless energy.

Maybe that’s what Pyrrha was talking about, maybe the right person just drops into your life. Granted, she wished that she had met Ruby under better circumstances, but nothing in life is perfect. And Ruby was certainly better than the endless procession of suitors her father paraded before her. The only problem was Ruby being a human.

That sufficiently brought Weiss back out of the clouds. Ruby was a human. Weiss was a vampire. There wasn’t a way they could make a relationship work, no matter what Weiss or Ruby might want. Her smile died, and she sipped down the last of her espresso.

Ruby didn’t seem to catch on to Weiss’ sudden lack of cheer. Good, Weiss didn’t want to explain the rather sudden mood swing.

“Hey, Weiss, what really made you change your mind, about the whole coffee with me thing?” Ruby suddenly asked, looking up from her sandwich.

Weiss forced herself to smile. “Coffee with a friend isn’t a good enough reason? And, the reasons I gave for waiting so long were true, you know. Not having a Hunter come after me in the middle of a night off is quite appealing.”

“So, we’re friends then?”

“We’re friends, Ruby.”

Ruby smiled at that, which made Weiss’ smile feel a lot less forced.

* * *

 

Blake sighed. She really hated these meetings. Especially after Adam got them involved with some less savory people. Vampires, actually. The worst kind of them.The kind that reminded her exactly why she stuck with the White Fang when Adam stepped up. The meeting itself was just another tired formality to rally their less steady members into a frenzy.

There would be blood tonight. She was sure of it. Why Adam still bothered to keep her back at the hideout, when she could easily be out cracking skulls…

No. She wouldn’t let herself get caught up in that. She wouldn’t let herself get trapped in the hate. As much as it still burned in her, she knew she could end up like Adam if she let it control her. Or worse. Still, she might learn something useful if she paid attention, so she decided it wouldn’t hurt to start.

The werebear lieutenant that was on the stage proudly waved his arms about, gesturing to the assembled group. “Tonight, we’re finally going to be making a move on the area of the docks that so many of you have been begging to get a chance at!” He yelled. “Tonight, we’re hitting a shipment of Dust, straight from Atlas! As you all know, the Schnee corporation is the worst about exploiting our brothers and sisters in Atlas, so I don’t think I have to tell you that holding back isn’t going to be helping anyone! The messier the scene, the more we’ll be listened to!”

Blake narrowed her eyes, looking to Adam. He remained standing off to one side, idly staring at the moon. Hopefully, he’d keep her on the blood bank angle. She was tired of all the killing. And maybe, if she did her job right in the blood bank, they could finally start taking the fight directly to the people responsible, and not the innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.

Acceptable losses, Adam called it. She didn’t know how he could have fallen so far. He used to make sense, he used to actually care about making the world a better place. Now, he only cared about causing as much collateral damage as possible. She supposed that was why he accepted the help of Torchwick and his cronies.

Vampires though they were, they were still helpful. Useful tools, for causing as much wanton destruction as possible, as well as doing things stealthily that Adam didn’t trust with Blake. That annoyed her to no end, but her complaints had fallen on deaf ears.

Par the norm, lately. She used to be able to be some semblance of a moderating element in his life, in his plans, but now she didn’t think he trusted her. Not since she spared a vampire child. Not since that act of mercy had made him put her in less important roles. Not since Torchwick used that child to worm his way close to Adam, and offer his ‘services.’

The lieutenant was now busy handing out assignments, but she knew she wouldn’t get one. So, she approached Adam.

“Blake.” He mumbled something before looking at her. “How’s the girl.”

She debated lying to him, but knew that it was pointless. He’d find out one way or the other. “She was kidnapped yesterday. I don’t think we’re the only ones looking into what she can do.”

“Did you get her back?” He growled.

“No, but her sister did. The Schnee that’s in town helped.”

“Do you at least know who did it?” Adam’s patience seemed extra thin, today.

“No. She didn’t tell me any details. But I’ve given her the week off. I’ll have one of my people tail her, this week. See what she does, in the mean time.”

“Make sure they’re not obvious about it. We can’t have her getting suspicious. About you, or weres.”

“She won’t get suspicious, Adam. She’s too trusting. It’s why I think it’s still a good idea to actually persuade her. Instead of forcing her to help us.” She hoped she could still reason with him.

Adam looked back to the moon, his face passive. “You’ve got a month. We’re moving up our schedule.”

“...Okay.” She closed her eyes and walked away, leaving the warehouse that the meeting was in. She had a choice to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay in the update. Life continues to conspire against me! Please don't send Emerald after me. Please? In other news, I'm just going to stop trying to give a rigid update schedule, because they never seem to help.
> 
> Honestly, writing the date portion of this chapter was the hardest. It really was.


	6. Chapter 6

Mr. Schnee leaned his palms on the window sill, staring out over the city of Atlas. A knock came at the door, causing his frown to deepen. “Enter.” He said, not bothering to look at who might be bothering him.

“Mr. Schnee, we just got the report from the eastern villa that you asked for.” One of his secretaries. And they were rather prompt with handling this request, wonderful.

“Is Winter secure?” He didn’t have time to waste.

The secretary paused. He could smell her fear. “N-No, sir. She used a Grimm attack as a distraction and ran away.” She couldn’t keep her voice from quivering. “All of her caretakers were killed in the attack.”

Mr. Schnee straightened, one hand rising to adjust his tie before he turned around to face the secretary. “Has the security firm been alerted?”

“Y-Yes sir. I let them know, before coming to tell you what happened.” The secretary clutched her clipboard to her chest. “They said we should be getting an update in the next couple of hours. S-Should I tell you, when they send it to us?”

“Of course. I want to know the instant we find Winter again.”

“O-Of course, sir. Is there anything else you need?”

Mr. Schnee smirked somewhat, several plans forming in his head already. “Yes. Let the northern villa know that it will be hosting Winter, and to double its security. You should also let them know of her… rebellious nature.”

“Right away, sir.” The secretary gave a bow, turning to leave. She quickly, but quietly, closed the door on her way out.

Mr. Schnee allowed himself a smile, turning back to look over the city. Winter had no chance of escaping the northern villa, at least not without falling into numerous natural hazards that had been… improved by his staff. By all rights, it was a fortress. Indeed, it had been used as such in the last war, and its impregnable nature was the only thing that let him, and his family, live while the armies of Vale and Mistral froze to death in one of the worst winters Mantle had seen.

Perhaps this time, the isolation will break her spirit. He couldn’t afford to have rebellious daughters, not when his plans were already so far along. He let out a contemplative hum and wondered how Weiss was progressing. It was almost time for the weekly update. Until it was time for them to speak, he could only hope that she had escaped the Branwens’ notice.

Mr. Schnee was only left alone with his thoughts for a few minutes before the secretary returned. “S-Sir..” She began, sounding more terrified than before. This didn’t bode well.

“Out with it.”

“There was an attack on the last Dust shipment to Vale. Half of the Dust was stolen, and the other half was apparently detonated in the shipyard.” She said. “All of the freighter’s crew was killed.”

Mr. Schnee whirled back around, advancing on the secretary. She shrank away. “Do we have any leads on who did it?” He, thankfully, kept his voice even.

“Y-Yes, sir. The emblem of the White Fang was painted on the side of the freighter, and the security cameras on site corroborate the evidence.”

He immediately seized her by the throat, picking her up and pinning her to a wall. She wheezed out a plea for mercy. “You had better be able to tell me we have a lead as to the whereabouts of the White Fang operations in Vale.” He growled out.

“N-No, sir…” She struggled against his grip, but there wasn’t any way she could escape.

“Useless therian!” He yelled, gripping her throat tighter. He continued to do so until her struggling ceased, at which point he simply dropped her. He silently thanked his past self for deciding to run the month’s operations from his home, just outside Atlas proper.

Mr. Schnee crossed to his desk and tapped the small speaker icon on the desk’s phone.

The front desk answered promptly. “Yes, sir?”

“Have the cleaners come by my office. There’s a particularly large heap of trash by the door, and I’d like it removed before it has a chance to smell. And tell them to be discreet.”

“Of course, sir.” The line went dead, after that.

Mr. Schnee wondered if he should have Weiss begin investigating the White Fang in Vale, in addition to her other duties…

* * *

Weiss crossed her arms as she watched Ruby and Qrow spar. Thankfully, Qrow had decided to choose an actual gym to train Ruby in, so as to accommodate Weiss. She wondered if Qrow chose to let Weiss observe to intimidate her, or to force her to work on her own plans to help protect Ruby.

Ruby herself was rapidly turning out to not need much in the way of physical protection, the side of her soul that her mother wanted to keep sealed away took over whenever Ruby had a weapon in her hands. She should stop thinking about the two as separate entities, after all they share the same body. One side just happens to be the embodiment of peacekeeping and balance.

Weiss let her thoughts wander, as watching Ruby and Qrow go against each other was not very enlightening. She could hardly make out Ruby’s movements because of their speed, and Qrow’s combat attire was specifically designed to obfuscate his form, to hide him from his opponents and thus gain an advantage. Really, this training seemed entirely unnecessary, but Weiss supposed that some of it had to be passed along to the more innocent Ruby, so that she didn’t have to rely on her nature as a Reaper in order to defend herself.

So that she could control her nature as a Reaper.

Her scroll buzzed in her pocket, shaking her from her thoughts. Weiss took it out and glanced down at the message:

** JR:  ** Meet at Hei’s Club, tonight. Don’t bring Blondie.

Weiss smirked. She should probably thank Yang for arranging the meeting. She wasn’t her father, after all, and didn’t have as much experience in dealing with underworld contacts. She typed a quick reply:   
** WS:  ** Will arrive at 20:30. If Blondie shows up, it’s all on her.

Satisfied that she had given the other party enough information, she glanced back up to watch Ruby and Qrow. The pair had begun moving farther apart after each blow, using the speed from reengaging to add more force to their blows. Of course, Ruby’s bursts of speed also heralded another sprinkling of rose petals floating around the sparring floor, many of which Weiss had to reach up and bat away when they strayed too close.

The petals smelled exactly like Ruby did, and that was something that Weiss did not need right now. She needed to be focused, not pining after another drink. Not being constantly reminded of how much Ruby cared for her, wanted to help make her life better. Even if there was a partial selfish leaning to it, because of Ruby’s rather romantic leanings, Weiss had never been cared for like that before.

No one, not even her immediate family, had cared for her wellbeing like Ruby did. Even Yang and Qrow were starting to follow in Ruby’s footsteps, beginning to include Weiss in outings and meetings (though Weiss had no idea how much of that was simply due to Ruby’s insistence.) Weiss wanted to be cared for like that, craved it dearly, but she knew it couldn’t last.

Weiss was a vampire. Quite an old one, at that, and from one of the more prestigious and infamous families. They were humans. She couldn’t have a place amongst them. She couldn’t let herself care about them more than what she already did.

She was already too close.

She let out a sigh, closing her eyes and listening to the almost rhythmic ringing of steel on steel. She focused, trying to pick out which footfalls belonged to Ruby. It took her some time, but she eventually managed to pick out the patterns she moved in. Opening her eyes, she decided to try predicting where Ruby would attack from next.

Assessing the situation, an attack from above or from Qrow’s right side would be the most effective. But also the most obvious. Ruby hadn’t seemed to favor using the obvious opportunities before, so Weiss looked to Qrow’s left, waiting for the telltale flash of red and flurry of rose petals.

She allowed herself a smirk. Her prediction was right, and that particular blow caused Qrow to stagger backwards. Weiss frowned. It was true that they had been sparring for quite some time, but Qrow was a professional Hunter. His stamina must outstrip this display. It had to, if he wanted to survive in his line of work.

Weiss was further concerned when Qrow held up a hand to call off the spar, before curling that hand into a fist and coughing into it. She rose, deciding that investigating was better than not. “Is everything alright?” She asked as she approached, paying no mind to Ruby standing off to one side and looking at everyone else but Qrow.

Qrow coughed a few more times before waving Weiss away. “I’m fine, just had a bit of a cough for the past few days.” Nonetheless, he swung his scythe in such a manner as to collapse it. “Nothing that a small break won’t fix.”

Weiss nodded. “Go take a break then. Get something to drink.”

“Why are you so concerned with my--”

Weiss cut Qrow off with a glare. He simply chuckled, holding up his hands as he began walking away. Weiss watched him leave, arms crossed.

“Do you have a weapon?” Ruby suddenly asked, sounding somewhat bored.

Weiss blinked. “I… do. Why?” She looked to Ruby, who currently had the haft of her scythe slung across her shoulders, her arms casually resting on it.

“Training time isn’t over, and I was only getting warmed up.” She said, her head tilting somewhat as she looked to Weiss. “And I’m curious to see how you fight. What sort of weapon might fit the mighty vampiress.”

Weiss raised a brow. Maybe she  should  think of them as two separate entities. She could almost hear condescension in Ruby’s voice. “I’ll fetch Myrtenaster, then.” She didn’t waste any time in heading for the briefcase she had stashed Myrtenaster in. It didn’t take long to assemble it, thankfully the engineers hadn’t messed up her request for a more discreet weapon to carry with her.

All the Dust reserves were in order, the blade was locked… Good. She hadn’t forgotten how to assemble her rapier. She quickly returned to Ruby, assuming a practiced ready stance. She knew she wouldn’t have a chance to parry any of Ruby’s strikes with her blade, so she decided to favor a more offensive stance. “Ready.” She said, eyes narrowing slightly.

Ruby just tilted her head the other way, her face obscured by the mask. That was one handicap that Weiss dearly wished wasn’t present; she wasn’t able to use where Ruby was looking at to predict where she would strike. Finally, Ruby spoke. “Ready.”

An automated buzzer sounded the beginning of the spar (Weiss wondered if it was programmed to respond to the word being ready said twice,) and Ruby disappeared in a cloud of petals. Weiss immediately backpedaled, cursing herself for not paying more attention to Ruby’s footwork just before the spar. She heard the rush of something coming through the air above her, and immediately raised a glyph to block the strike.

“Can’t keep up?” Ruby asked, taunting her. Weiss responded by shifting her glyph somewhat to direct the force that Ruby was applying off to one side, following up with a jab from Myrtenaster. She was too late, Ruby had already vanished in another cloud of petals. Weiss twirled, hoping that Ruby followed the same pattern of attacks that she had used against Qrow. If she was right, Ruby would coming from behind right about now…

The ring of metal on metal sang her prediction true, Ruby having barely blocked the strike. Weiss allowed herself a smirk as she began raining down strike after strike upon Ruby’s guard, not giving her a chance to flee. She even stopped holding back, tapping into her enhanced speed and strength courtesy of her blood. She still wasn’t as strong as she could be, the accursed sun saw to that, but it was enough to help her hold her own against the red reaper.

Ruby managed to deflect one of Weiss’ blows in such a way as to let her disengage, but Weiss continued to press her. She flicked her wrist, cycling Myrtenaster’s revolver to begin using burn Dust, A thin trail of flame followed the tip of her rapier as Ruby’s guard slipped, forcing her to begin actively dodging the attacks rather than deflect them with her scythe.

Ruby let out a laugh, a mirthful, childish laugh, and vanished again. Weiss was able to track her movement, this time, but her surprise at the laugh slowed her reaction enough for Ruby to hook the blade of her scythe around her ankle, tripping Weiss.

Weiss held out a hand to stop herself from faceplanting into the ground, thankful that her aura had kept Ruby from slicing off her foot. She rolled to one side and sprang back up, growling a threat under her breath. Ruby was already coming around for another strike. High, aiming to bring her scythe down upon Weiss’ shoulder.

She knew she shouldn’t gamble like what she was considering, but Weiss wanted to shake Ruby. So she let the blow connect, at least appear to. She hastily blocked it with a glyph before cycling Myrtenaster to freeze Dust and smacking Ruby’s side with the pommel. She knew she had hit the right spot when Ruby grunted and shifted away, leaving herself open for another strike.

A strike that Weiss was all too happy to send at Ruby. She stabbed at Ruby’s torso, with perhaps more force than was necessary. A large chunk of ice materialized on Ruby, though Weiss could tell that it wouldn’t hold, as Ruby’s aura was still strong. She kept close to Ruby, not allowing her to try and use the size of her weapon to disengage and recover, stabbing at her over and over again.

Ruby twirled her scythe in an attempt to parry Weiss’ strikes, but only succeeded in covering the haft of it in ice. Weiss allowed herself a smirk as she pressed her assault, ignoring her qualms with being so ruthless against someone who had so little training; only instinct. Ruby began losing ground, her motions slowed, and Weiss could begin to hear her breath growing ragged.

Qrow wasn’t working her hard enough, clearly. Weiss began working out a list of just what Ruby needed, first and foremost being endurance training, as she disengaged from her assault. It wouldn’t do to lose her footing because she was too busy forcing an advantage.

Ruby staggered backwards somewhat, chest heaving from the force of her breath. Her gaze never wavered from Weiss, who stood in a ready stance not far away. Rather suddenly, Ruby planted the butt of her scythe in the ground, waving for Weiss to stand down. “So that’s what it feels like to actually take more than one hit…” She said, her free hand reaching up to fiddle with the chunks of ice that were clinging to her torso.

“I take it you’re typically the one giving blows, rather than taking them?” Weiss asked, lowering Myrtenaster. She kept it at the ready, in case this was a ruse, but something told her it wasn’t.

“I’m usually too fast to actually get hit.” Ruby replied as she managed to peel one of the bits of ice off her, dropping it unceremoniously before starting to work at another.

“You need to work on that, then. Maybe sparring with a vampire more often will be better for your skills, given how you seem to be rather fast.”

“You offering to spar regularly?” Ruby looked up, head tilted somewhat. Her voice was hopeful.

Weiss weighed her options. Either she could say no, and hurt Ruby’s feelings alongside losing out on much-needed practice, or she could say yes, and risk infatuating both sides of Ruby’s persona with her. The infatuation was likely to stay anyway, and Weiss didn’t like staying away from practice when she was likely to be in danger more often in the coming months. “I do believe I was. Assuming, of course, that your uncle allows it.”

Ruby shrugged, dropping her scythe and sitting down to start picking at the ice with both hands. “He should. I mean, he was the one that invited you today.”

Weiss hummed somewhat, flicking Myrtenaster’s Dust revolver to burn. “Let me.” She said, gesturing to the ice. Ruby put her hands on the ground off to either side of herself. Weiss closed her eyes and conjured a pair of burn-enhanced Glyphs around Ruby, slowly sweeping them up and down her torso to melt away the ice.

“That was a quick spar.” Qrow’s voice interrupted Weiss, though she didn’t let it distract her.

“Weiss doesn’t go easy on me.” Ruby chuckled. “I think I like sparring against her more, anyway. She can actually land a proper hit on me.”

“Well then, I guess you two will have to start sparring on your own time.”

Weiss released her Glyphs, the ice having melted away. “I suppose we will.”

“Either way, I don’t think I should keep going now.” Ruby said with a shrug. “Today was good, though.”

“Lunch time, then?” Qrow looked between the two women.

“I’ll have to pass.” Weiss began collapsing Myrtenaster. “I have some other business to attend to.”

“See you later then, Weiss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to write, I lost my motivation like five times over with this. I'm not entirely satisfied with how this turned out, and it's shorter than I originally wanted, but hopefully things will look up.


	7. Chapter 7

_ Eighty years ago, northern Mantle, Winter _

_ Hei Xiong _

 

Hei Xiong shivered, cursing the asshole in military intelligence that could actually do his job. And just for good measure, he cursed the idiot in the command structure that thought it was a good idea to camp a bunch of under equipped greenhorns in the middle of Mantle’s Heracles Mountains, when they knew it was going to be wrapped up in blizzards for the next four months. But noooo, they had to make sure that the Schnees didn’t escape from their hidey hole in the mountains.

Not that they actually knew where the hidey hole was, considering how remote the Heracles Mountains were. He wrapped another blanket around himself. He really didn’t think it would do anything to help keep him warm, after all he was a vampire and vampires didn’t make much in the way of body heat to trap. “I’m gonna vacation in Vacuo once I get discharged…” he muttered, not really caring that he couldn’t enjoy all the benefits that that entailed.

He heard a distant thump, followed by a rumble. Glancing out of his unit’s tent into the blizzard outside, he tried to make out if an avalanche had started. “Hey, Olsen, think you can go see what that noise was?” Hei Xiong turned to the only human in the tent, who was standing and staring in the direction the noise came from.

Olsen was pale and trembling, and he reeked of fear. “Hey, Olsen, you hear me?” Hei asked, standing up and looking around to see if one of the other soldiers had left a weapon lying about.

Olsen just stood where he was, barely choking out a cryptic message: “They’re coming…” before collapsing.

“Sarge?” One of Hei’s other squadmates piped up. “That ain’t normal, is it?”

Hei barely bit back a swear, he had an air of authority to keep, after all, and pointed to the squaddie that spoke up. “Griggs, you and Coleson get Olsen out of here and to the infirmary. Bennie, you take Forest and Yarrow and head to the armoury. Get us something to fight with. I have a bad feeling.”

“You got it, sarge!” The soldiers each dashed out of the tent to do as ordered, and Hei stood up. He could just barely make out people running from… something, in the distance. It wasn’t long until he could make out the sounds of fighting. Had the Schnees found them? And were they really suicidal enough to attack in the middle of a blizzard this thick?

Deciding he should at least get a better idea of what was going on before his squad got back, Hei shrugged off the blankets around his shoulders and began running against the press of bodies fleeing from whatever was causing the commotion. He quickly began catching glimpses of a pair of women, almost invisible in the swirling snow, wreaking havoc through the camp. It was then that he noticed that everyone who was running was human still; the few vampires in that part of camp were already engaging the women. And they were not faring well.

Hei watched as three vampires assaulted the guard of one of the women, his already cold blood going icy as he saw her casually knock aside each blow before reposting with a devastating dust-empowered thrust precisely through one of the soldiers’ hearts. The other two vampires had to shield their eyes as their companion burst into flames, and the woman dispatched the remaining assailants with detached, cold ease.

Hei picked up a discarded sword, not his favorite type of weapon, and leapt into the fray. He knew he had to do something to buy some more time for the rest of the camp to come help. Hei joined a group of older vampires in circling the shorter woman, and finally got a good look at her. Sharp features under alabaster hair, piercing blue eyes… There was no mistaking it, the women were Schnees. Her stance wasn’t as sure as the other one, but Hei could still tell that he shouldn’t underestimate her. One of his comrades surged forward, hoping to smash his impressively large zweihander down upon the woman.

She simply darted to the side and jabbed her rapier into his chest, far less accurately than the other woman but with no less dramatic results. Her attacker let out a howl of pain before being immolated as well, and she glared a defiant challenge at the remaining vampires around her.

“Weiss, dear, take care of this rabble while I clean this ugly smear off our lawn,” the older woman commanded, rushing forward to kill another soldier and not waiting for a response before hurrying off through the opening she created.

“Yes, mother.” The woman, Weiss, Hei now realized, closed her eyes before casting her gaze about the still assembled soldiers. “You are trespassing on Schnee property,” she said, “Now I have to kill you.” She sounded more annoyed than anything, as if they were interrupting something important.

“Full of yourself, aren’t you kid?” One of the younger soldiers piped up. “You can’t really expect to beat all of us, can yo--”

Weiss interrupted him by a too-quick-to-follow jab through the heart. “Yes. Yes, I can.” She said, her voice and gaze chilling Hei more than the blizzard that raged around them. The rest of the soldiers rushed her at the same time, a few of them managing to land lucky blows before being forced to disengage.

Weiss had chosen to stab her rapier into the ground to summon a large icicle around herself, forcing the soldiers to withdraw. Some of them were congratulating each other, circling around like wolves. None of them noticed how cracks appeared in the ice, or how glyphs had appeared at their feet. They were too full of false confidence to dodge when pillars of ice closed in around them, and the frozen tomb around Weiss shattered; sending spears into each of them.

Hei had only just barely dodged, the pillar meant for him blocking the girl’s view of him. He had one chance… Slowly, he stood up, creeping towards the vampiress, bringing up his weapon before smashing it down towards her head.

Weiss had twirled at just the right moment to parry the strike, but it was too powerful for her to stop. Hei felt a moment’s satisfaction as his weapon pierced her guard only to glance off her aura.

He had to quickly retreat, as Weiss began conjuring glyph after glyph to attack him, sending spears of ice and gouts of flame from every angle. “Shit, shit, shit!” He dove for cover around a tent, rolling to a stop as the area he was just occupying became filled with a spike of ice.

The sound of crunching snow cut through the howl of the wind, and Hei grit his teeth. He knew he wouldn’t get another chance at surprising her, the other Schnee was wrecking the rest of the camp. As soon as Weiss approached the corner he had dove around, Hei leapt at her and swung his weapon up.

Weiss didn’t have time to parry this time, and Hei grinned in satisfaction as he felt his weapon slam into her aura, before cutting through it ever so slightly and gashing across the left side of her face. She let out a shriek of pain and staggered backwards, making a few desperate motions with her rapier as she held her free hand over the wound. Hei was about to follow up with another attack before he felt himself being lifted…. and thrown. 

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” He yelled as he went sailing over the camp, idly taking note of how the blizzard had abated slightly. At least all the snow would soften his landing, right?

Wrong. Hei hit the ground like a ton of bricks, and quickly lost consciousness…

  
  


_ Present Day, Downtown Vale, Midsummer _

_ Hei “Junior” Xiong _

 

This was the last time he was going to let Blondie, or any of her friends, into his club. The last time! Looking out over the dance floor, he knew tonight was going to be rough. It was a friday, and that meant the potential for lots of collateral damage if things went south… and knowing the crowds that Blondie ran with, as well as how easily the Schnees took offense to anything, things were likely going to go south fast.

“Hey, dumbass,” he yelled to one of his goons, Timmy, he recalled, “Remember that your gun stays in the holster when people are around! I don’t want any problems tonight!” He sighed as the Timmy just shrugged and holstered his gun. Tonight was going to be bad…

But, if it didn’t go bad, then Junior knew he was going to be one of the richest soldiers-of-fortune-turned-nightclub-owners there was. The only problem was making it go well…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get out. I've been having a rough time IRL, and just haven't had the motivation to write. Have a shitty action sequence that I swear is totally related to the plot, and isn't just a bit of chocolate to keep you all interested.


	8. Chapter 8

Weiss was wondering (and not for the first time that night) why she thought bringing Ruby along to the club when she was going to talk to Junior was a good idea. Insurance maybe? Whatever rational reason she had was long since drowned out by the buzz of babble coming from the passenger seat of her new car, courtesy of an excited Ruby.

Thankfully, they had just arrived at Hei’s Club. “Ruby, if you’d let me speak for two seconds, I could tell you that we just arrived.” 

Ruby let out a happy squeal. “It’s been so long since I’ve been able to go to a club!”

“You’re… You know what, I don’t think I want to know the answer. C’mon, let’s go.” Weiss quickly parked and got out, making sure to bring the briefcase that contained Myrtenaster with her. “So you know, for the first little while, I’ll be in one of the VIP booths, discussing business with someone, so you’ll be on your own.”   
“Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s not like this isn’t the fiftieth time you’ve mentioned it.” Ruby teased, grinning and following along.

Weiss shot her a glare before marching up to the door. The bouncer looked them over before standing aside and letting them pass. Weiss walked into the club and immediately winced at the pounding music. The dance floor was already packed, as was the bar. There was an upper ‘floor’, more a catwalk really, containing the VIP booths.

“I shouldn’t take long. Go… do whatever it is you do at a club, I’ll meet you at the bar in half an hour or so.” Weiss said, looking to Ruby.

Ruby just grinned and winked at Weiss. “See you then.” She said before scampering off into the crowd.

Staring after her with a deadpan expression, Weiss wondered why it was that Ruby was so excited. Then again, she hadn’t danced in the style that clubs favored, or even in the past half century, so maybe it was perfectly reasonable. Shrugging, she made her way to the staircase leading to the VIP booths and was pleasantly surprised when the bouncer there let her past without stopping her.

_“Booth two…” _ She frowned when she noticed the booths weren’t obviously numbered. However, only one had an open door, so she peeked her head in.

Hei ‘Junior’ Xiong waited in the booth, one leg crossed over the other. “Son of a bitch, it really is you.” He muttered, sounding bitter. Something about his face was familiar to Weiss…

After a moment of remembering, it all came back in a rush. The howling wind, the cold, the worst pain she had ever felt, and all the other repressed memories came to her unbidden. She set her face into a passive mask. “Yes. It is,” she bit out. “I trust our business is still in order?”

Junior narrowed his eyes before gesturing to a seat across the booth from him. “Have a seat and close the door. Fill me in on just  _ why  _ you need my men so badly.”

Weiss did as she was told, making sure to lock the door. She set Myrtenaster’s case aside and folded her hands in her lap diplomatically. “It’s a… bodyguard job. The girl I brought with me has a target painted on her back by someone I know you’re not a fan of. And I’ve heard good things about the quality of your work, so I thought it would be a win-win for you. Your men get an easy job, and you get to throw a wrench in my father’s plans.”

Junior blinked a few times. “How do I know this isn’t some kind of trick?”

“The fact that I’ve already wired you two months worth of advanced payment, discreetly of course, and you’ll be working closely with the girl’s sister and uncle, both of which are accomplished Hunters.” Weiss allowed herself a smirk. “Not only that, but I’ve decided that perhaps it’s time I start building my own power base, instead of relying on one with so many unsavory strings attached.”

“Alright… So, who are we protecting her from?” Junior seemed interested in the job now, even a tad eager.

“My father, and… certain other people. She was recently kidnapped by some thugs, but I have no idea what for. I  _ can  _ tell you that my father is heavily interested in Turning her.” Weiss had to force herself to admit the last portion.

“So you’ll need my best men, too. And since you’re talking in person, I take it you want this done quietly, too?”

“As quietly as possible,” she raised her scarred brow. “You can do this, yes?”

“It’s not what we typically take on, but yeah. We’ll keep your girlfriend safe and human.” Junior grinned a bit.

“She’s not my girlfriend!” Weiss immediately refuted. “I just… have a vested interest in keeping her safe.”

“Of course not. If you don’t mind my asking, why don’t you just Turn her yourself. I mean, it shouldn’t be too hard for you to get that paperwork filed, and then she’d be safe from your father for good. Even if she’s leashed to you.” Junior kept grinning, leaning back in his seat.

“Even if she wanted to be a vampire, which I can assure you she doesn’t, her family would kill me. Without hesitation. And if they didn’t kill me, my father would. And there’s no guarantee that she would take particularly well to Turning.” Weiss hoped that that was enough information to make Junior discontinue that line of thinking.

“This ain’t like the old days, where most people off themselves after Turning, but yeah, I can see your point.” His grin died. “I’ll have to up the rate though, going up against Schnee’s men… Ain’t likely to enthuse my boys. Five grand a week.”

“Four. It isn’t just your men protecting Ruby,” Weiss narrowed her eyes.

“Four and a half and you’ve got a deal.” Junior didn’t even consider four grand for a moment.

Weiss considered turning down the offer, but she didn’t know of any other mercenary groups that were even remotely trustworthy. Not that Junior’s men were, but Junior himself loathed her father, and he was responsible for her scar so she knew he was a good fighter. “Fine. But your men had best do their job effectively and quietly.” She only hoped his men trained as hard as he did.

“You’re paying well enough, so she won’t know a thing. All you have left to tell me is who her sister and uncle are, and we’ll be done here.” Junior crossed his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow.

“Yang Xiao Long and Qrow Branwen. I’ve already informed them of the arrangement, and they won’t give you any trouble.  _Especially_ not Yang.” Weiss frowned, hoping that whatever happened between Yang and Junior wouldn’t be enough to make him back out.

“Working with blondie? Man… This chick you’re set on keeping human better be worth it.” Junior scowled at Weiss.

“She is. There’s a reason my father is after her. Now, since that’s everything, I’ll be taking my leave.” She stood and picked up Myrtenaster’s case.

“Yeah, yeah… Just don’t make any trouble, if you stick around and enjoy the club’s services. I’d hate for Melanie and Miltia to actually need to earn their pay, tonight.”

Ignoring the thinly veiled threat, Weiss left the booth and out into the pounding main room of the club. She could easily spot Ruby dancing in the crowd, and leaned against the rails to watch her, at least for a moment. She was about to head down to the bar when a pair of men sauntered up on either side of her. Vampires, she could tell by their auras, but there was something… off… about how they smelled.

“Hey, what’s a pretty lady like you doin’ all alone up here, huh?” One of them asked, grinning as he leaned against the railing.

Wrinkling her nose, she tried to keep her tone polite. “I was just thinking about what I should drink. Nothing to concern yourself over.”

“Ain’t even had a drink yet,” one of them began.

“Bet you ain’t Flared up yet, either?” The other finished, grinning and taking out a small vial of amber liquid from his suit.

“‘Flared up’? What sort of nonsense are you spouting?” Weiss narrowed her eyes at the liquid.

“Nonsense? Hey, babe, no need to be so prickly. Check it, one dose of Flare and you’ll feel like you’re alive again. Pretty tight, yeah?” The man with the vial-- it had Flare in it, Weiss guessed-- grinned. “And since you got such a chip on your shoulder, I can let you have this dose for free.”

Blinking, Weiss looked to the man. “Nothing can make me feel alive. I’ve never was in the first place.”

“Ohoho, born a vamp, huh? Well, then this here is a  _ special  _ treat for you,” he offered the vial over. “Go ahead, take it. Just slip it in your drink, you won’t taste a thing.”

“An’ don’t worry if you don’t think it’ll do nothin’. It  _ will,  _ but hoo boy. Won’t be like anythin’ you’ve ever felt,” the other dealer said with a grin, hands going to his pockets. “You’ll feel better than the best moment of your best day made you feel.”

She snatched the vial out of the man’s hand and brusquely turned to leave. “Fine; I’ll take your drug. But I expect to be left alone.” She had no intention of dosing herself, but if it would get those two sleazes to leave her alone, she’d tell them whatever they wanted to hear. A small part of her was curious as to what this ‘Flare’ would make her feel like, but she trampled over it ruthlessly. She couldn’t afford to get careless.

She made her way down to the club proper and skirted around the edge of the over-crowded dance floor to make her way to the bar. “White Vale,” She said, once getting the bartender’s attention. Weiss didn’t bother watching him mix her drink, fishing her lien card from her pocket.

The bartender gave an appreciative murmur when she placed her card on the counter for him to swipe through the reader, giving an even more appreciative one when it doesn’t spit out any errors or problems. Weiss took her card back and slipped into her pocket before taking up her drink and turning to watch the dance floor.

Trying to pick out any sign of her ‘company’ for the evening, she found herself wondering-- not for the first time that night-- if she could ever return Ruby’s feelings, or if that small spark she had felt that night in Pyrrha’s diner was just the result of having briefly shared Ruby’s thoughts and emotions. The irritation she felt at seeing Ruby being chatted up by a stranger was genuine enough, but she reasoned that was simply because she could tell that the man was obviously checking her out. She could count the number of times his eyes left Ruby’s face and went… wandering.

Weiss narrowed her eyes, sourly sipping her drink and wishing Ruby would just break away from the conversation already. Thankfully, Ruby didn’t entertain the stranger’s desire for conversation for long, offering a polite wave as she headed for the bar.

“Heya,” she said with a grin. “What’s got you all sour looking?”

“Hm? Oh.. Nothing, just a conversation that I was forced to undergo.” Weiss frowned. “I’m just glad I didn’t have to throw anyone.”

Ruby just shrugged, flagging down the bartender. “Strawberry Tease, please!” She said with a giggle, prompting Weiss to roll her eyes.

_“Strawberry Tease. Of all the drinks she could have ordered, she chooses the one that’s an apt descriptor of herself,” _ she mused. “I take it you’re enjoying yourself?”

“Well, yeah. It’s not often I get to go out like this, and… Well, with everything that’s going on, I really needed this. So, thanks Weiss.” Ruby sipped her drink, subtly nodding to the bartender that Weiss would be picking up her tab.

Weiss blinked a few times, surprised by the sudden, and genuine, thanks. “You’re welcome,” she started, not really knowing what to do next. She  _really _ shouldn’t have brought Ruby, she should have just discussed things with Junior and then left. She only hoped that she could keep putting on an air of enjoying herself, and found herself wishing that alcohol actually had an effect on her.

“So, what’s next Weiss? No more deal-making or whatever it was you were doing?” Ruby suddenly asked, having downed her drink remarkably fast.

“I hadn’t really planned that far,” she admitted. “So, why don’t you take the lead.”

A smirk crossed Ruby’s face. “Alright then, finish your drink and we’ll hit the floor.”

  
“I don’t know how you can call whatever  _ that  _ _is dancing, but I suppose I can learn.” Weiss groused before knocking back the last of her drink and setting aside her glass._

“Oh man, you can’t dance, can you?”

“It’s not something that an heiress is expected to know. After all, dancing can’t help run a company or keep a family from tearing itself apart.”

“Wow, you’re a constant downer, aren’t you? C’mon, I’ll teach you, and you’ll have fun.” Ruby rather suddenly grabbed Weiss’ wrist and began tugging her towards the dance floor. Weiss didn’t bother fighting, rolling her eyes. Thankfully, Ruby didn’t drag them fully into the tangled mass of dancers, and slowly she began teaching Weiss how to dance.

The whole process was rather engaging, Weiss had to admit. Moving properly to the beat and in time with the people around her was an interesting challenge, one that was exacerbated by the sheer life and energy of it all. More than once, Weiss found herself drawing far too close to Ruby, breathing a little too deeply of the scent of rose perfume and sweat.

By the time Ruby pulled away properly, pleading for drinks, Weiss was actually enjoying herself. She could tell, now, why certain vampires frequented clubs; and it wasn’t just because there was so much easy prey about. She signalled the bartender for more of what they ordered previously before turning around to watch the dancers, the crowd having thinned somewhat as the DJ put on a slower song.

“You’re a quick learner.” Ruby grinned and nudged Weiss with an elbow. “So, ya having fun yet?”

Weiss ran her tongue over her fangs lightly, pondering her answer. “Not as much as I could be, but yes. That was… fun.”

Ruby lightly sipped her fresh drink, casting a sideways look at Weiss. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m… I’m  _ thirsty ,  _ Ruby. And that last dance was a bit too close. Too distracting. Tempting.” Her gaze fell as she admitted this.

“Haven’t you been drinking enough? I mean, you haven’t come by the blood bank any less, so I’m assuming you’re going through packs at your usual rate.”

“It’s not quantity, Ruby, it’s quality. It’s always about quality, and… It’s hard to make myself drink stale blood, even at the best of times, but after I had  _ you… _ It just got that much harder.” Weiss looked away.

“Oh. Uh… Sorry, if I’ve been a bit too close. Do you need some space?” Ruby frowned, placing a hand carefully on Weiss’ shoulder.

“No! No, that’s not what I meant. It’s… It’s not something space would fix. I just need to control myself.”

Ruby gave Weiss’ shoulder a squeeze. “You always think you need more control, Weiss,” she said before downing her drink. “I think, maybe, you could learn a lot from just letting it go. I’ll be on the floor, if you want to join me.” She left Weiss alone with her thoughts, then.

Weiss fumbled about in her coat as she pondered Ruby’s words. Letting go… She finally found what she was looking for, and brought the vial of Flare out to stare at it. The amber liquid looked innocent enough, if she didn’t know what it would do.

Swallowing her pride, and making sure that no one was watching, she uncapped the vial and poured the thimbleful of liquid into her glass. She swirled the contents around a few times before steeling herself… Taking a deep breath, she downed it all.

For a few moments, nothing happened, then she began feeling warm. Warmer than drinking did. Better. Her breath got short as everything shifted in pitch, everything sounding tinny and high. Colours washed together and shifted, became more vibrant. Lights got brighter, almost blindingly so. She could see that she was sweating,  _ sweating!  _ And she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Letting out a slight giggle, she stood up and stumbled slightly, having momentarily forgotten how to walk. It didn’t take her long to reach the dance floor and find Ruby. Grinning, she joined her in dancing, brushing off the question of if she was alright.

The pair fell into a comfortable pattern, dancing until Ruby was tired, and going back for more drinks. It felt so wonderful, so glorious, that Weiss couldn’t bring herself to care. She felt  _ alive!  _ She wondered if Ruby always felt like this. By the fifth drink, Ruby was becoming more uncoordinated, her actions getting sloppy and her words less coherent. The bartender cut them off, insisting that Weiss pay.

She did so, blowing a raspberry as she did. A woman in a red dress, flagged down by the bartender, grabbed Weiss and Ruby each by an arm. “You two’ve had enough.” She said, pulling them towards the doors.

Ruby let out a small pouting whine as they were escorted out. “Which one’s yours?” The girl asked, looking over the parking lot. Weiss directed them to her car, and let out a small yelp as she found herself being shoved into the back seat.

“Keys. I’m driving you two home.” The woman gave off a sort of air that she was not to be fucked with, so Weiss handed over the keys to her car and helped Ruby buckle her seatbelt. While the girl fiddled with their GPS, Weiss looked out at the almost empty lot and chuckled.

She found herself mesmerized by the lights they passed, and stared up at them and past them at the stars. She didn’t pay attention to where they were going, or why she was so okay with a stranger driving them somewhere. Suddenly, they were home. Weiss blinked as they pulled into the parking lot, and the girl who drove them simply killed the engine, tossed the keys back to Weiss, and left.

Weiss slowly got out of the car, watching as the woman in red got into another vehicle-- presumably one that followed them from the club-- and drove off. Weiss watched for a moment before she heard Ruby stumbling out of the car, and she moved to help her. Ignoring her giggling cargo’s pleas for attention, she directed them towards her apartment.

“Weiss! Weiss, c’mon, listen to me!” Ruby said as the pair stumbled into Weiss’ apartment.

Weiss turned to face Ruby as she closed the door. “What?” She asked, only to find Ruby’s lips against her own, the shorter girl’s arms looped around Weiss’ neck.  _ “Oh. That.”  _ Weiss blinked as Ruby pressed further, pushing her back against the wall.

Ruby held the kiss for a long while, just long enough for Weiss to begin returning it, before pulling away. “I  _ really  _ like you, Weiss. And every time you look at me, I can see… something. So I gotta ask, do you like me too?” Ruby’s eyes were pleading.

Before Weiss could stop herself, she blurted out, “Yes!” Blinking afterwards, she looked away. “I mean-- I do like you, Ruby. But--”

Ruby cut her off by using a hand to push Weiss’ face so that they were looking directly at each other, and Ruby moved in for another kiss. This one was more heated, determined. Passionate. And Weiss couldn’t bring herself to hesitate, again. Her body moved automatically, after her admission, and her hands found their way to Ruby’s hips. Ruby’s hands went wandering, sending shivers down Weiss’ spine.

She didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but Weiss couldn’t stop herself from picking Ruby up. The younger girl let out a laugh as the kiss momentarily broke, and Weiss stumbled towards the bedroom…

 

* * *

__

 

Winter grinned, her new ‘friends’ having finally delivered her fake passport and IDs to her. As far as anyone knew, she was Alice Walters, just a tourist headed for Vale to visit family. Still, she had had run-ins with her ‘father’s’ men recently, so she didn’t take any chances at the airship terminal.

She almost panicked when a policeman stopped her. “How can I help you, Officer?” She asked, glancing around for escape routes.

“I just wanted to ask if you knew anything about a girl that went missing. About five years of age, last seen wearing a blue jacket, leaving the terminal with a human with white hair.”

She let out an internal sigh of relief. “No, Officer, I haven’t seen any little girls. I just got to this part of town from the factory district.” Winter wasn’t lying, which helped steady her voice and nerves. “I’m also a vampire. Hence the parasol.” She bared a fang, for emphasis.

The officer let out a hum as they considered Winter before smiling. “Thanks for your time, ma’am. Have a nice trip.”

“Keep up the good work,” she said with a wave and a bright smile that died the moment she turned away. She looked around, trying to find where she was supposed to go, when an obviously synthetic voice told everyone in the terminal that the last airship of the day headed for Vale would be leaving in ten minutes from gate four.

With her destination now more clearly laid out, she rushed to the gate. Boarding had already begun, and Winter slipped into line. She did her best to keep her face forward when a group of military men dragged away a screaming werecat who had apparently stowed away aboard the airship.

She didn’t comment about it when the person scanning tickets asked about the stowaway, just offering a noncommittal shrug with the subtle urging for him to hurry. Thankfully, he did, and soon Winter was on the passenger airliner that would take her on the first journey to freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get out! I couldn't write anything that I was satisfied with, so I ended up just writing stream of consciousness after going back and redoing the storyboard for this.


End file.
